Diblasio (1995) explains that the use of an energy recovery system in a Maryland medical research facility has not caused cross-contamination problems. The heat wheel used in this project
... has been applied to numerous similar installations, with a successful track record. Independent test data were available to confirm the performance claims, as well as the ability of the product to limit cross-contamination. This pilot installation was completed in a new animal virology laboratory, which was housed in a renovated bookstore. The project was tested for cross-contamination by ...[the] Health and Safety Department; the system was found not to transfer contaminants from one airstream to the other. Since providing for the safety of the researchers was the primary directive to the mechanical design team, ...[the director of the safety and environmental health department] also needed to be satisfied with the resultant indoor air quality. When recently asked about his perception of the system's performance, [he] reported that he was very pleased. His original concern was that an energy-recovery system would cause cross-contamination—contaminants from the exhaust air coming back into the building. This doesn't appear to have happened at all. ...[The director] said that "There hasn't been a single indoor air quality complaint." Proof of the equipment's effectiveness came through an unscheduled "test" late one night, when a researcher accidentally spilled a container of mercaptoethanol, the chemical added in minuscule concentrations to provide the odor in natural gas. Mercaptoethanol can be smelled in concentrations of three parts per trillion. ...[The director] reported that "The odor cleared out of the building within about 20 minutes, and not a trace of it returned."
