Regarding the comment:
>>To me, that implies that there needs to be direct local exhaust in the lab rather than relying on general ventilation. And presumably access to a hood that doesn‰??t involve crossing an aisle Is that correct? I would also be interested in shielding measures you recommend.

I'd say that whether direct local exhaust ventilation is required depends on a number of parameters including frequency and duration of use of the equipment, solvents that are typically rotovaped-off, efficiency of the condenser upstream from the pump, and the rate of air exchange in the room (+ other factors determining room air dilution/mixing, which you know far more about than I do!). Putting the rotovap in the hood solves many problems, but the "lack of space" issue sits heavily on the opposite side of the balance. My own words: the guidance we give our labs (vent the pump into the hood) is splitting the difference.

Shielding the entire rotovap isn't a standard engineering control I've seen; however I observe that most newer manufacturer provided condensate-collection flasks are poly-coated. If the rotovap isn't equipped with a poly-coated condensate flask, I recommend pulling a plastic-netting sleeve over it or criss-crossing it with a few circumferences of electrical tape. That receiving flask is one of the components that gets handled frequently. I've never seen any recommendations for implosion shielding for the sample flask or bump flask, but the former would be at least partially shielded when lowered into the water bath.

I like your idea that the path from the rotovap to the hood should not cross an aisle. I think that is prudent and easily justified.

Kimi Bush
Lab Safety Specialist
Environmental Health and Radiation Safety
University of Pennsylvania
3160 Chestnut St., Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6287
Office: 215-746-6549
Voice/cell/text: 215-651-0557
fax: 215-898-0140

-----Original Message-----
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**med.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Stuart, Ralph
Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2015 4:40 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Rotovaps and ventilation

>> >Unless you're in a magical world where hood space is more widely available than PAC money, I'd have to say that safety/ventilation etc. is way down the list for most PI's. In many all of the labs I've worked in, hood space is too valuable (i.e. scarce) to take up with a rotovap,

That was my sense, but many of the rotovap installations I saw on the web were in a hood, so I wasn‰??t sure what best practices for siting them are. The SOPs on the web are generally vague about appropriate precautions associated with the process.

>We require rotovap pump exhaust to be vented into a fumehood or point exhaust (this is often accomplished by running a tube into the back of the hood from a rotovap located on the open bench).

To me, that implies that there needs to be direct local exhaust in the lab rather than relying on general ventilation. And presumably access to a hood that doesn‰??t involve crossing an aisle Is that correct? I would also be interested in shielding measures you recommend.

Thanks for the information.

- Ralph

Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO
Chemical Hygiene Officer
Keene State College

ralph.stuart**At_Symbol_Here**keene.edu

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