Laboratories are usually scientific facilities where dangerous substances are in use and risky processes are executed. Sometimes, industry requires these substances as a matter of course, or scientists are experimenting with noxious chemicals. This necessitates some basic safety precautions, one of which is the use of laboratory fume hoods. This should be seen as standard practice in all labs in San Antonio TX.
The design and operation of the lab fume hood is almost the same as a kitchen extractor hood. As the name suggests, the lab hood extracts toxic fumes from the lab environment and sends them outside. However, the lab hood is sometimes more sophisticated in that it also filters the air and sends it back into the reaction chamber or the lab. This sounds unnecessary but it matters where the reaction or experiment requires a stable atmospheric temperature.
Modern chemistry includes a large range of hazardous chemicals. Trained staff are going to know what these are, and they should also be familiar with those chemicals that are used in their specific line of work. They should be versed in the precautions surrounding experiments, or where their task is to identify unknown substances.
An obvious example of a hazardous chemical is mercury, which is liquid at room temperature. Mercury is a metal, like other metals, but its melting point is so low that it liquefies at room temperature. This also means that it emits a small amount of mercury vapor. Inhalation of this vapor causes mercury poisoning, since the vapor is as dangerous as the liquid metal itself.
Mercury poisoning is medically serious and should be avoided. A famous case occurred in Japan, where mercury was leaked into the ocean and about 50 people died. The resultant illness is known as Minimata and is named after the Japanese disaster. In particular, the nervous system is affected and harmed. The damage is permanent.
Caustic soda is a more common threat in industry. Its scientific name is sodium hydroxide. It gives off fine dust when it is handled too roughly. This dust is as corrosive as the powder and damages the breathing system, which can in turn lead to cancer. Where it comes into contact with the skin, it is soluble in human sweat. Once it dissolves in the sweat, it starts to eat into the skin and underlying flesh.
Sulphur is yet another potential hazard in the laboratory. In some reactions, sulphur forms a gas known as hydrogen sulphide. This gas has the characteristic stench of rotting eggs. But besides its notoriously repulsive smell, which makes it hard to mistake, a far less aesthetic issue is that it is also extremely poisonous, and can have a lethal outcome.
If a worker has the attitude that a chemical has no effect on them or that they are "used to" it, they should be reprimanded. This attitude is inappropriate. Noxious gases are insidious in their effect on staff in that they might not be detected or seem significant for some time, even though they are poisoning the workers who are inhaling them. All safety measures should be observed at all times. So, where a fume hood is needed, it should always be installed.
The design and operation of the lab fume hood is almost the same as a kitchen extractor hood. As the name suggests, the lab hood extracts toxic fumes from the lab environment and sends them outside. However, the lab hood is sometimes more sophisticated in that it also filters the air and sends it back into the reaction chamber or the lab. This sounds unnecessary but it matters where the reaction or experiment requires a stable atmospheric temperature.
Modern chemistry includes a large range of hazardous chemicals. Trained staff are going to know what these are, and they should also be familiar with those chemicals that are used in their specific line of work. They should be versed in the precautions surrounding experiments, or where their task is to identify unknown substances.
An obvious example of a hazardous chemical is mercury, which is liquid at room temperature. Mercury is a metal, like other metals, but its melting point is so low that it liquefies at room temperature. This also means that it emits a small amount of mercury vapor. Inhalation of this vapor causes mercury poisoning, since the vapor is as dangerous as the liquid metal itself.
Mercury poisoning is medically serious and should be avoided. A famous case occurred in Japan, where mercury was leaked into the ocean and about 50 people died. The resultant illness is known as Minimata and is named after the Japanese disaster. In particular, the nervous system is affected and harmed. The damage is permanent.
Caustic soda is a more common threat in industry. Its scientific name is sodium hydroxide. It gives off fine dust when it is handled too roughly. This dust is as corrosive as the powder and damages the breathing system, which can in turn lead to cancer. Where it comes into contact with the skin, it is soluble in human sweat. Once it dissolves in the sweat, it starts to eat into the skin and underlying flesh.
Sulphur is yet another potential hazard in the laboratory. In some reactions, sulphur forms a gas known as hydrogen sulphide. This gas has the characteristic stench of rotting eggs. But besides its notoriously repulsive smell, which makes it hard to mistake, a far less aesthetic issue is that it is also extremely poisonous, and can have a lethal outcome.
If a worker has the attitude that a chemical has no effect on them or that they are "used to" it, they should be reprimanded. This attitude is inappropriate. Noxious gases are insidious in their effect on staff in that they might not be detected or seem significant for some time, even though they are poisoning the workers who are inhaling them. All safety measures should be observed at all times. So, where a fume hood is needed, it should always be installed.
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