Safety in forensic science is always a priority, whether in the laboratory or at the crime scene. There are many different tools and products that the forensic pathologist can use to perform their research and daily tasks safely and efficiently. Some of these products include alternative light sources, evidence drying chambers, latent print developing chambers, and smoke hoods. Each of these products has its specific role and work in the laboratory. For this project, I will focus on laboratory fume hoods which could help reduce the risks often encountered in the laboratory. A very important element in any forensic laboratory is the biological safety cabinet, also known as the chemical fume cupboard. These products are not all created equally. They all have very different protective capabilities. However, the main purpose of a fume hood is to provide constant airflow in order to have a clean and safe work area. “Chemical fume hoods are designed to capture and exhaust contaminants resulting from working with chemicals” (McLeod 2011). Essentially, a fume hood provides protection to the employee by limiting exposure to hazardous and/or toxic fumes and vapors by keeping these chemical work areas confined. These fume hoods are extremely important in the forensic laboratory. Employees are often exposed to many types of hazards, including chemical, biological and physical. Fume hoods help protect against chemical and biological hazards by protecting the user from inhalation of toxic gases and other airborne hazards. Sometimes when working with toxic chemicals over a long period of time, the effects may not be noticed immediately, but it will take time to affect the body. Some of these toxic chemicals may not have...... middle of paper ......tions of a biosafety level 2, but also add specific requirements. The chemicals and microbes used in these laboratories can cause serious and even life-threatening illnesses if inhaled. All work carried out with microbes in these laboratories must be carried out in the appropriate biosafety cabinet. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there are not many biosafety level 4 laboratories in the United States and around the world. The microbes present in these laboratories are dangerous and exotic, posing a high risk of aerosol-borne infections. Infections caused by these microbes are often fatal and require no treatment or vaccine. Different biosafety cabinets provide different levels of protection. The Thermo Scientific Herasafe KS Biological Safety Cabinet provides exceptional protection, comfort and performance for advanced applications in forensic laboratories.