Laminar Hood

The goal of a laboratory hood is to safely contain and/or remove hazardous biological and chemical contaminants before they can escape into the lab or environment.

Spanning benchtop models to walk-in units, hoods are used in fields ranging from chemistry to the life sciences to forensics. Ducted hoods remove contaminants using either constant or variable air volume. Since constant-volume hoods in particular tend to be energy guzzlers, recent efforts have focused on low-flow units that incorporate fume containment features to save energy while maintaining safety.

Additional types of ventilation devices include biological safety cabinets (HEPA filtered to Class I, II, or III levels); glove boxes, which offer a higher level of protection against inhalation; and dedicated units for use with perchloric acid, IVF, or PCR.