Has anyone had any dealings with Xylene and if so what were the results of your risk assessments . We use approx 1 litre a day under a fume cupboard however one member of staff states they can smell it the next day in an adjoining office, and it is making them ill. Fume cupboards are tested annually and PPM is less than the limits. Our assessments states low risk and no surveillance required but I am unsure that this is a correct result. What rate of extraction is required for fume cupboards? SBH

There are many factors which can affect how efficiently a fume cupboard can perform it is not just down to the face velocity. It used to be said that 0.5 metre per second was the “target” These days many fume cupboards can be designed to operate with lower velocities. I have to say I and not a great supporter of these. The positioning in the room can affect the performance. As Martin said the positioning of the extract can also be a factor However in my opinion the most important factor is how the fume cupboard is being used. I have seen fume cupboards full of apparatus and with that situation, no matter what the face velocity might be, the containment is minimal. If you do a Google search for Fume Cupboard Velocities you will find there is a lot of information out there.