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There are many applications in the lab which involve working with substances that are toxic, corrosive, contagious or alternatively threatening. Naturally, lab personnel use gloves, eyeglasses, protective clothing and other laboratory safety equipment which protects their skin from contact with these hazardous materials - but what about materials which
give off harmful or irritating fumes or those which present a possibility of infection? When working with substances like these, analysts and laboratory mechanics use fume hoods to stop breathing harmful smoke while they perform their jobs.

For those occasions when ventilation is vital in order to forestall inhalation of deadly smoke and fans, or simply opening a window is not an option (especially where outside air movement could contaminate the examples being worked with, adversely affecting outcomes), a fume hood provides a useful type of protection. There are different types including ductless fume hood products which recirculates harmful smoke and vapours in the filtration system contained on the unit. Many come in numerous designs and configurations, with styles made specifically for numerous different procedures.

There are fume hoods which are designed with laminar air circulation systems which produce a stream of air horizontally across the hood to carry off dangerous fumes which could cause serious, even fatal injury if breathed. These hoods sometimes feature HEPA filters to trap dust as well as particulate substances from the materials the researcher
or laboratory technician is working with inside of the hood.

There are fume hoods with a less noticeable footprint and these are the vertical models. There are also horizontal devices which take up more space but will most likely have a bigger working area.

Some fume hoods circulate air from outside (again, not in circumstances where the examples inside the hood are attuned to contamination) while others circulate filtered indoor air
thru the interior. Still others use carbon filters to catch poisonous fumes, though these are typically used with eyeglasses, respirators and/or face masks worn by the employee.

Jamie Belton writes content for scientific sites and mags on the topics of lab safety products including chemical storage cabinets and laboratory fume hood products.