You probably knew that fume hoods are designed to remove contaminated air from your breathing area. They also protect your face and upper body from splashes and bubbles. Below are some tips for using a fume hood:
Make sure all materials are six inches inside the fume hood so that sash can be closed quickly in an emergency
Keep sash open no more than 18 inches, less if possible. Combination sashes can be used with a pane between your arms to protect you
Keep face outside the fume hood, sash must always be in front of your face
Place large equipment on blocks to allow airflow underneath.
Smart Energy fume hoods are energy efficient, flow will be automatically reduced if the sash is closed and the arrows are lined up (a light will indicate it is in low flow mode)
Incident Spotlight- Chemical Explosion in Fume Hood Injures Student
What happened? A glass stopper on a Tetrahydrofuran (THF) reflux still was ejected violently, shattering inside the fume hood. A graduate student working with Sodium metal in the fume hood was splashed as the hot THF was ejected from the still and seconds later the THF vapour ignited, creating a fireball inside the fume hood. The fire from the hood ignited the student’s hair and caused facial burns. Attempts to extinguish the fire with the ABC fire extinguishers in the laboratory were futile.
What do you think happened? What hazards exist working with THF? More information can be found here
When is it ok to use emergency phones?
If there is an emergency and you need to dial University police, you can do so simply by picking up the phone. There are red phones stationed in the labs or in the hallway in all research areas. We have also recently installed some in the basement of the ITC complex where cell coverage is poor.
Peroxide Forming Compounds
Beware the Bottles With Beards! Certain organic solvents can form peroxide crystals when exposed to the open air. These peroxides, if left in place for too long and continue to accumulate peroxide crystals over time, can become shock/friction reactive and can explode. The University of Minnesota experienced an unexpected explosion in 2017 (pictured below), and were extremely fortunate that no one was severly injured.
Some keys to follow for your lab if you use a solvent that can form peroxides:
Date each bottle on the date received.
Date each bottle on the date of opening. This date will be the “clock start” for safe handling.
Test the bottle with peroxide-former strips after the first three months of opening.
All peroxide-forming chemicals are required to be disposed of after 12 months of opening or if peroxide concentration >100 ppm.
