Asbestos Fume Hoods & Laboratory Hoods

A fume hood provides ventilation in laboratory and industrial settings and works to filter vapors, chemical fumes and hazardous gases from the air. Air is pulled in from the front of the hood, filtered and passed back into the room or outside the building. Fume hood liners, shelves and cement board were commonly made with asbestos during the early 1900s due to its resistance to heat and abrasive chemicals.

Hazards of Fume and Laboratory Hoods

Fume hoods are commonly used in the following processes:

• Laboratory testing
• Research
• Development
• Removal of noxious gases and dusts
• Building ventilation

This product may be found in universities, building air systems and laboratories.

Transite, or asbestos cement, has been used to insulate the hood from the fumes and gases. If the hood is whole and intact, the hood is not considered a health hazard. Asbestos fibers are bound inside the cement, but if broken, cut or damaged, the fibers may be released into the air.

Certain fume hoods filter chemicals from the air and release the purified air back into the same room. If the transite hood lining has become friable, the fibers may be released into the room and inhaled or ingested by building occupants. 

Fume hood lining that is suspected to contain asbestos should never be drilled, broken or removed without the assistance of professionals trained to handle asbestos materials, as this process may also create airborne asbestos fibers.

Removing Fume Hood Lining

Transite fume hoods may also pose health risks when removed or replaced. Trained, certified asbestos professionals should remove asbestos materials and the following precautions should be adhered to at all times:

• Remove chemicals from fume hood and lower shelves
• Lay down drop cloth or tarp to catch metal pieces or dust particles
• Avoid breaking hood lining
• Clean work area with HEPA vacuum
• Dispose of asbestos waste, including drop cloth, in approved waste bags

The laboratory area should also be washed, as asbestos fibers may remain airborne for hours or days and those in contact with the area may breathe in or ingest the fibers.

Asbestos fibers that have been swallowed or inhaled may become lodged in the body, where they can remain for many years, causing irritation, inflammation and the possible development of asbestos-related diseases or cancer many years later.