fume hood alert

It has come to the attention of the UFT Health and Safety Department that a particular fume hood found in some high schools is not appropriate for schools and should not be used. If your school has fume hoods manufactured by Misonix please check the model number. If it is FE 3650 please call the UFT Health and Safety Department at 1-212-598-7757.

This was discovered when a lab specialist reported that he had called Misonix for information and what he was told disturbed him, so he called Catherine Henihan.
She consulted with Misonix tech support and told them the hood in question was model number FE 3650.

The tech support reported that fume hood model:

was 15 years old;
was not appropriate for use in schools;
did not include a safety filter;
was not effective for hydrocarbons; and
had no safety alarm.

We are not sure how these hoods arrived in a school about five years ago.

Misonix produces a very reputable product but this particular model should not be used in schools. If you do have this model in your school do not use it, please call the UFT Health and Safety Department right away.