The sole purpose of a Fume Hood or Fume Cupboard is the protection of the operator and laboratory from exposure to hazardous fumes.  This is accomplished by drawing in air from the laboratory through the front of the cabinet and extracting it through PVC of Polypropylene ductwork to the atmosphere.  In some cases the Fume Cupboard would incorporate an acid scrubbing system to eliminate the build-up of acid crystals in the duct.

There are various standards of containment for laboratory Fume Cupboards, and while the new EN standard promises to be a stringent standard for adoption across Europe once complete, many manufacturers will offer Fume Cupboards based on the BS, DIN or ASAI standards.  Of these the containment and performance requirement of the BS or EN standard is by far the more stringent, and it is this standard that is most commonly specified in the UK & Ireland.  Almost all major manufacturers across Europe are now embracing the new EN standard and re-designing their cupboards to meet the containment requirements of it.  Fume Cupboards certified to ASAI standards would often fail to pass the BS or EN standard and should be avoided where safety is a concern.

CSC were the first company to pass the BS 7258 when it launched in 1994 and again when revised in 1999 and our containment results have not been matched since.

It should be noted that at the time of writing (Nov 2007), several parts of the standard have been published, and have superseded the BS & DIN standards.

CSC Fume Cupboards are recognised as one of the best designed in Europe and have consistently outperformed competitors Fume Cupboards in certification testing.

CSC Fume Cupboards are manufactured from a PVC outer skin with internal baffles which can be of a variety of materials including compact laminate (e.g. trespa, polypropylene, stainless steel or pvc.  Our Fume Cupboards have been designed to exceed the safety & containment requirements of the BS & EN standards.

CSC Fume Cupboards are designed for many applications and come in a variety of formats including:

• School Type
• Standard
• Walk-in
• Lowered Floor
• Radio-isotope
• Inbuilt Scrubber
• Downdraft

More information on each of these can be found on the variations page along with suggested applications.