Local ventilation for safe containment in the pharmaceutical industry

Biomedical science and the pharmaceutical industry have made startling advances in the last 10 years, and the horizon is even more exciting. Because today's pharmaceutical chemicals are more potent and selective than ever, the risks also are greater than ever. Is is essential, therfore, that all laboratory workers understand how to minimize the threat of personal exposure to hazardous substances. Ventilation is the first line of defense to protect laboratory workers from such exposures. All too often, however, laboratory personnel do not receive sufficient training on how to properly use equipment such as laboratory hoods, and there is little understanding of the prinicples of laboratory ventilation. It is frequently assumed that because the hood is on, it is functioning properly, containing contamination, and thus preventing worker exposure. This is often not the case. Safety professionals can tell you that laboratory ventilation is their most difficult problem and that improper ventilation is usually the cause of potentially hazardous exposures. This paper is part of a series that describes the fundamentals of laboratory ventilation and how to use equipment such as laboratory hoods and vented enclosures.