DCHAS-L Discussion List Archive
From: Roger McClellan <roger.o.mcclellan**At_Symbol_Here**ATT.NET>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Chemistry Fume Hood Experience
Date: April 29, 2013 12:22:13 PM EDT
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: <CAKoY-_xe0Bpu9P8CX-Vkz_1_t25h3A5nSxC9_XCDXMnb_fzQDg**At_Symbol_Here**mail.gmail.com>
When you have repeated alarms the system is not crying wolf, it is telling you that you have a potentially serious ventilation problem in your building and laboratories that deserves urgent attention. By allowing students and, I presume, faculty and staff to over ride the safety system you are condonning inappropriate behavior. If you are the responsible authority you are opening your self up to legal action some time in the future from alleged victims of exposure to xyz. You need assitance now from some professional ventilation engineers to do a comprehensive ventilation analysis of the entire structure and the individual laboratories.
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It has been my experience that many institutions have not given adequate attention to ventilation issues when facilities were built and modified and, especially, when an investigator decides to add a hood. The attitude is frequently --after all it is just one hood. Overtime, the installation of a hood here and one there adds up to 15 additional hoods with no attention given to the need for additional makeup air.
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As I recall there was an interesting example of this a decade or so ago at the Univ of Cincinati Dept of Environmental Health. The Dept Chair at the time did not think it was a serious sick building syndrome problem until he collapsed one day leaving the build. Tuned out thay had all kinds of ventilation issues including an elevator that "pumped" sewer gas from the bottom of an elevator shaft..
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Safety systems are iinstalled for good reasons, do not ignore them.
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Roger O. McClellan
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=0AFrom: Mary Ellen A Scott <mas35**At_Symbol_Here**CASE.EDU>
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU
Sent: Mon, April 29, 2013 9:01:39 AM
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Chemistry Fume Hood Experience
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The biggest issue we have is supply air or lack there of. At least all are VAV hoods go into alarm so much that the students just put paper in the MUTE button. We seem to have created a cry wolf situation.
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