Fume hood vs. Laminar flow hood
Chemical fume hoods are often confused with laminar flow hoods, but they are not the same. Both use airflow as a protective measure, but the protective factor is different: fume hoods protect workers, while laminar flow hoods protect chemicals.
In the hood, the air is removed from the worker to protect the worker from harmful fumes. In contrast, a laminar flow hood (also called a clean bench) moves filtered air to the outside. A gentle, unobstructed air flow prevents contamination of a product such as a semiconductor water or biological organic samples from other materials.
Biosafety cabinet vs. Fume hood
Biosafety cabinets are another category of laboratory equipment that are often confused with fume hoods. Both use airflow to protect themselves, but the focus of protection is on different threats: fume hoods protect against chemical vapors and fumes, while safety cabinets protect against germs and pathogens.
A biological safety cabinet (also called a biological safety cabinet or BSC) uses HEPA filters to remove pathogens from the outside air. Depending on the class and type, biosafety cabinets may also use HEPA filters in the air to protect the product from possible contamination. In contrast, fume hoods usually do not use HEPA filtration on the outside.
