Science Lab Hoods — Asbestos Exposure Crosswalk

What This Equipment Is

A science lab hood — properly called a chemical fume hood — is a ventilated enclosure used in laboratory work to contain hazardous vapors, dust, and chemical splash. From roughly the 1920s through the late 1970s, fume hoods built for K-12 chemistry classrooms, university teaching labs, hospital laboratories, and industrial research labs were commonly constructed with multiple asbestos-containing components:

  • Transite (asbestos-cement) interior panels — the hood interior side walls, back wall, and work surface
  • Asbestos-cement benchtops and lab tabletops — durable, heat-resistant, chemically resistant work surfaces
  • Asbestos gaskets — around airflow components, hood sashes, and exhaust connections
  • Asbestos insulation on exhaust ductwork — particularly where hoods exhausted to roof stacks
  • Asbestos-bearing lab table base materials — in some designs

Beyond fume hoods, the broader science classroom often included:

  • Asbestos-cement chalkboard backings
  • Asbestos gloves and mitts for handling hot glassware (laboratory ware)
  • Asbestos pads and squares for Bunsen burner stands
  • Asbestos-cement utility tabletops in shop and lab classrooms

Where These Were Installed

  • K-12 school chemistry labs — high school and middle school science classrooms
  • University teaching laboratories — undergraduate chemistry, biology, physics labs
  • Community college lab facilities
  • Vocational and technical school shops — welding shops, materials labs
  • Hospital clinical and research labs — pathology, microbiology, chemistry
  • Industrial research and quality-control labs

Manufacturers Named in Lab-Hood Litigation

Public asbestos litigation records identify these companies in cases involving school and laboratory asbestos products:

Transite and asbestos-cement panel manufacturers:

  • Johns-Manville — Transite panels, sheets, and pipe
  • Eternit / National Gypsum — asbestos-cement board
  • CertainTeed Corporation — asbestos-cement products
  • Cape Industries
  • Asbestos Cement Products

Laboratory equipment and casework manufacturers:

  • Kewaunee Scientific Corporation
  • Hamilton Industries
  • Labconco — fume hoods
  • Sheldon Lab Furniture
  • Mott Manufacturing

Lab supplies (asbestos pads, gloves, mitts):

  • Norton Company — laboratory asbestos products
  • Various lab supply houses (Fisher Scientific, VWR, Sargent-Welch as resellers)

Insulation on ductwork:

Trust Funds That May Apply

  • Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust
  • Owens-Corning / Fibreboard Asbestos Personal Injury Trust
  • National Gypsum Company Asbestos PI Trust
  • CertainTeed Asbestos PI Trust

See full trust-fund directory →

Workers Exposed at Science Lab Hoods

The exposure pattern in school and university lab environments has several distinct populations:

  • School maintenance and custodial staff — replacing damaged panels, cleaning hood interiors, demolition during renovations
  • Renovation and abatement contractors — primary exposure during hood removal and lab gut-renovations
  • Science teachers — incidental exposure from aged or damaged hoods, particularly during lab setup and equipment movement
  • Chemistry and laboratory technicians — daily hood use; risk elevated where hoods were aged or damaged
  • Laboratory students — lower-intensity but long-duration cumulative exposure across multi-year educational programs
  • Plumbers and HVAC mechanics — work on hood exhaust ductwork and connected utilities

Asbestos-cement is most hazardous when it is disturbed — cut, drilled, broken, sanded, or impacted. Intact transite panels can be safe to use, but lab hood renovations, replacement, or disposal frequently produced fiber release.

Jobsites in the Network Documenting School Labs

Compiled from publicly filed asbestos litigation records, EPA AHERA school inspection records, fire-code archives, and industry-publication histories. Product identifications and company references reflect what has been alleged or documented in publicly filed litigation. This page does not constitute a finding of liability against any company. This information is not legal advice; consult a licensed attorney about your specific situation.