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Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:17:30 -0500
Reply-To: Russ Phifer <rphifer**At_Symbol_Here**WCENVIRONMENTAL.COM>
Sender: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
From: Russ Phifer <rphifer**At_Symbol_Here**WCENVIRONMENTAL.COM>
Organization: WC Environmental, LLC
Subject: laboratory ventilation question
A community college has a laboratory room where biology classes are held.
The building is brand new, and the ventilation system for these rooms is not
operating properly - it is not operating at all. There is zero air
movement, and it gets quite hot in the room when full of students. Among
the labs held in this room is one where cats are dissected. The cats are
initially "fixed" in a formaldehyde solution, then transferred by the
biological supply house to a non-formaldehyde solution containing primarily
isopropanol.
The design engineers for the building claim "these rooms are designed for
increased outside air to accommodate issues such as this. All they need to
do is to operate the fume hood with the sash open when they are working with
cat dissection. By operating the fume hood with the sash open it will
provide approximately 5 air changes per hour which should be sufficient."
There is one small (6' long) fume hood in a corner of the room, pulling
approximately 100 linear feet per minute in a 50' X 20' room. Dissections
take place on open lab benches throughout the room. I can't believe this is
an acceptable fix. Any comments? Does anyone have a formula for estimating
the actual air exchange rate from the hood?
Russ Phifer
Russ Phifer
WC Environmental, LLC
1085C Andrew Drive
West Chester, PA 19380
610-696-9220x12/ fax 610-344-7519
rphifer**At_Symbol_Here**wcenvironmental.com
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