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Executive Summary:
Laboratories are complicated spaces with significant infrastructure designed and operated to
allow researchers to work safely with a vast and dynamic array of hazardous materials. EH&S
does not endorse a standard air change rate (Air Changes/ Hour, ACH); instead it supports a
collaborative, site-specific process among building users knowledgeable in all planned work,
lab designers, and EH&S to establish the most efficient and effective ventilation design. The
air change rate in a laboratory building is not as important as: the proper design, operation and
maintenance of the building HVAC system; researchers’ access to appropriate dedicated
exhaust systems (fume hoods, biosafety cabinets, slot hoods, for example); proper
programming of space for specific type of research; the ability of researchers to use built-in
controls coordinated with safe practices; and, the flexibility of the building’s design to support
renovations and alterations, ultimately allowing research to be conducted in a safe manner.
Reduced ACH capacity will require increased operational controls and surveillance to respond
to new users and processes. Designing or limiting air change rates to absolute minimums may
reduce a building’s capacity to the point where future research flexibility or expansion is
compromised.
Air changes per hour (ACH), is a simple calculated rate of how often the air in a total volume
of a space is exchanged. Another rate discussed is actual or effective air changes per hour,
which is the actual air exchange rate and includes short-circuiting of air and other limitations to
actual system function.
Although the air change rate is one of the most commonly discussed numbers in lab
ventilation, typically it is neither a useful measure of lab ventilation effectiveness nor a
measure of occupant protection. There is no known correlation between lab ACH and
disease. Labs are particularly complex facilities which must be designed and maintained for
working safely with hazardous chemicals, biological agents, radiological materials and
physical hazards.
Protecting the health and safety of lab personnel is the first priority, and, as stated above, does
not necessarily correlate with ACH. Air changes per hour alone is not as important a safety
consideration as the control of hazardous emissions at the source during both commissioning
and the inevitable changes that will occur over the life of the building. The joint goals of
safety and efficient use of energy and resources require thoughtful design, trained researchers
who apply appropriate hazardous material control techniques, and skilled facility managers
who understand and operate ventilation systems with great care. Reducing the number of fume
hoods or other dedicated exhaust equipment in a lab can cause research staff to conduct
activities with hazardous materials on the open bench instead of a fume hood and drive the
need for a potentially higher ACH rate (if hazardous emissions are not captured at their source
they will be diluted by general exhaust).
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The following are standards, guidelines and codes related to laboratory ACH.
ACGIH Ind. Vent 24th Ed., 2001 The required ventilation depends on the generation rate and
toxicity of the contaminant – not on the size of the room in
which it occurs.
ASHRAE Lab Guide-2001 4-12 ACH
IMC – 2004 1 CFM/ft2 Rate required for storage areas that exceed maximum
allowable quantities of Hazardous materials. Section
502.8.1.1.2
UBC – 1997 1 CFM/ft2 for H-6 Uniform codes have been replaced by International
codes beginning in 2000. Section 1202.2.5
The preceding table reflects a lack of consensus among standards for ACH in laboratories.
More important than the ACH is the overall effectiveness of the building’s ventilation. In the
laboratory, factors that influence ventilation rates include:
It is not prudent to specify an air change rate for a building by policy or guideline. Instead,
this decision must be based on site-specific information about the various spaces and intended
uses of the areas. A more appropriate design goal is: What ventilation considerations will be
necessary to enable current and future users of this space to work safely? That question may
be answered only after extensive programming and inter-disciplinary collaboration among
users, building designers, building operators, and environmental health and safety
professionals.