A Wrong Way to Recycle

About 35 years ago, I tore down an old house and saved as much of wood as I could. I used the boards to make shelves in the basement. Rough wood was fine. I didn’t realize at the time that the paint on that wood was a problem, even though it wasn’t chipping or peeling.

What I’ve learned since is that every time I pull a toolbox or a container across those shelves I’m scraping off lead dust. And, lead dust can have damaging effects.

Well, there’s a new project for the spring: tearing out all of those old painted shelves and replacing them. And, I’ll take the proper precautions when I do.