From: pzavon**At_Symbol_Here**ROCHESTER.RR.COM
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] vertical hood dividers
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2020 15:47:21 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: 001001d65ba9$f38ef000$daacd000$**At_Symbol_Here**rochester.rr.com
In-Reply-To


If your Dean wants to do this as an alternative to “social distancing” I would tell him/her that it is unnecessary and likely counter productive in terms of hood function.

 

As Richard Palluzi noted, such a panel is likely to interfere with air flow into the hood, creating added turbulence and possibly drawing more air from inside the hood into the user’s breathing zone. I would also point out that such a divider sticking out into  what otherwise would be part of a walking space could be a safety hazard in itself, and, depending on the lab layout, might violate requirements for evacuation paths.

 

As Ray Cook noted, the likelihood of exhaled aerosols reaching the space in front of the adjacent hood in the face of the inward flow of a properly functioning fume hood (presuming something like a 100 fpm face velocity), is very, very small. The whole function of the hood is to create a pseudo-laminar (i.e. smooth) flow into the hood.

 

Peter Zavon, CIH
Penfield, NY

PZAVON**At_Symbol_Here**Rochester.rr.com

 

 

 

 

From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU> On Behalf Of Rakers, Rosemary S.
Sent: Thursday, July 16, 2020 9:42 AM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] vertical hood dividers

 

Good morning all,

 

I have 2 4-ft hoods directly next to each other. My dean would like to get a vertical acrylic divider to put between them. He does not want to damage the hoods in any way so this divider would have to be magnetized or hang from the top somehow. He would like proof that this does not impede the air flow in the room. Does anyone have any ideas of how to go about acquiring said proof? What companies do these type of studies? The folks who install and calibrate the hoods?

 

And, is anyone else using such a thing? Or are you allowing people to work next to each other (within 4 ft) for a 3-hour lab? Or eliminating every other hood?

 

Thanks much.

Rose

 

 

Rose Rakers, Ph.D.

Director of Chemical Laboratories and Chemical Hygiene Officer

Department of Physical Sciences/College of Science

Birck Hall, Room 118

5700 College Rd.  l  Lisle, IL 60532

Office: (630) 829-6571

ben.edu

Follow us: facebook.com/benedictineuniversity

 

 

 

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