Laboratory Hoods

Asbestos in Laboratory Hoods and Other Lab Equipment

Laboratory hoods are used in facilities where there is a possibility of exposure to toxic fumes, gases and in some cases, biohazardous material. Laboratory hoods are essentially enclosures that are open on one side, that have a system of fans and vents. When in operation, laboratory hoods draw the potentially toxic air away and run it through a series of filters before it is returned to the room environment.

Laboratory hoods manufactured prior to the 1980s may have had asbestos materials installed in any number of places. The lining of the hood was one area that was commonly made with transite, a material consisting of portland cement mixed with asbestos fiber to give it extra durability.

Asbestos was also used to insulate some of the electrical components in laboratory hoods. One of the best electrical insulators was a type of asbestos called crocidolite, an extremely toxic type of asbestos comprised of stiff fibers that, when inhaled, can become imbedded in the internal organs causing various forms of cancer such as mesothelioma.

The most common type of asbestos used in the manufacture of laboratory hoods and other types of electrical equipment is chrysotile. Accounting for up to 98% of all commercial asbestos used during the 20th Century, this type of asbestos is known to cause a number of non-malignant, chronic diseases that include asbestosis, pleural thickening and autoimmune disorders.

The use of asbestos in manufactured products was largely discontinued in the U.S. after the 1980s, though many older products remain in use that may still contain asbestos material.

Hazards Associated with Laboratory Hood Products

Workers who produced laboratory hoods may have sustained exposure to asbestos, both to the chrysotile form used in the portland cement that lined many hoods as well as to the more dangerous crocidolite used to insulate the electrical components. However, the main group of exposed individuals included scientists, students, professors, and lab technicians who worked around these hoods on a regular basis. As the asbestos material in the laboratory hoods was stressed due to heat and exposure to strong solvents, it would begin to break down and the individual asbestos fibers could enter the atmosphere. Inhalation of these fibers is strongly linked to malignant mesothelioma and to other serious asbestos-related diseases and conditions.

Sources

Bowker, Michael. Fatal Deception: The Untold Story of Asbestos (New York: Touchstone, 2003)