ANSI/AIHA Z9.5 - 2012 Laboratory Ventilation Standard
Fume Hood Minimum Airflow Survey
Dear Industry Professional
This past Fall, the revised ANSI/AIHA Z9.5 - 2012 Laboratory Ventilation Standard was finally published, with particular attention focused on setting the minimum airflow rate through a fume hood.
Until now, current guidance has traditionally relied on NFPA 45 and its recommendation to achieve 25 cfm/ft2 (457 m3h/m2) of fume hood work surface area. Industry experts realized that this one volumetric requirement for all fume hoods and their associated operations was not proper - a range of flows, in particular, interior air change rates (ACH) should be applied.
In 2011, NFPA deleted its recommendation from their NFPA 45 Standard, and referred the concern back to ANSI. Within the Z9.5 revision, there is now a recommended, non-binding ACH range (150-375), not a specific value. The standard puts the requirement back on industry and its health and safety teams to assess the potential hazards.
The change could have a significant impact on lab environments and resulting energy footprints. We are requesting your input through this brief survey to gauge the extent to which you and/or your site teams might be adopting the new guidance, and if there is a specific value (ACH or CFM/ft2) you will establish for your fume hoods.
For those who respond to the survey, we will collect the data and send you a summary of the findings. The survey results are purely used to gauge the impact of this revised standard and assist all organizations in establishing peer guidance, not for resale or marketing purposes.
Please click on the following link https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/chasZ95 to respond to the survey and reply with your responses by February 28th
Your input is greatly appreciated!
David A. Rielly, CEM, LEED GA
Global Energy Manager
Global Health, Safety and Environment
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Inc.
Cambridge, MA 02139
USA
Office +1 617.871.4414
Mobile +1 617.301.2113
david.rielly**At_Symbol_Here**novartis.com
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