There are many testing standards around the world. When every company sells fume hoods, they will tell you that their fume hoods meet ASHRAE 110, en 14175 or other test standards, but the reality is that these tests are usually carried out under near perfect conditions. This test only confirms that the design of the fume hood is reasonable, but it doesn't mean that the fume hood works normally in your laboratory, because the ventilation system of each laboratory is different.

 

Your labs are different. The laboratory ventilation system is very complex and dynamic, and the conditions are changing all the time. It's not just the fume hood that you actually test, it's the performance of the fume hood in your lab. Global studies have shown that 50% to 70% of installed fume hoods fail to operate safely when tested.

 

This means that fume hoods are losing their ability to control pollutants and allowing them to escape to the laboratory. This will pollute the air and affect the health of workers.

 

But it's not just the users who are affected, these pollutants can damage laboratory equipment, they can also damage ongoing testing.

 

The only way to know if your fume hoods are safe is to test them.