Here are a few problems with used container vans; and why they’re mostly only used as temporary office bunks for construction sites: 1. Limited ceiling height; 2. Difficulty in designing due to limited dimensions; 3. Rusts over time; 4. Difficulty in finding similar thickness scraps during repair, otherwise buy brand new thick metal of similar grade; 5. Could tumble during typhoon; 6. Used container vans on sale usually are damaged and bent; 7. You will need extra equipment such as boom truck, crane, or large forklift to move it around…
Now the danger: Here’s a story forwarded by a friend (B. Sanborn):
So… I bought a 40′ container a little less than two years ago and developed a bunch of weird health symptoms shortly after. A-fib, odd lights when I close my eyes, lost feeling in arms and hands, blood in pee and more. In July 2016, on a really hot 110-degree day, I was closing the door on my container and in my face were the words “Danger”, “Do Not Enter” and… A large Skull & Crossbones. Apparently, the intense heat and sunshine that day had “lifted” the adhesive that used to hold a warning sticker and made it visible. Someone, had removed the sticker and sold me the container. After some research, I discovered that the container had been fumigated with one of two toxic chemicals, Methyl Bromide or Methylene Chloride, either of which will pretty much kill you in short order if you’re exposed too soon after the fumigation. We don’t know for sure which chemical was used in my container as every letter beyond Methyl had been scraped off down to the bare metal. Here’s another dastardly twist, these chemicals are odorless gasses and, like natural gas and propane, a scenting agent is used to expose their presence. That additional “scenting agent” was used as a chemical warfare agent in WW1 and WW2 and has a light “sweet” smell some compare to formaldehyde.
What EVERYONE needs to know is this…. these chemicals leave a TOXIC residue behind. It is absorbed by everything from wood to leather, rubber and your skin. We know that they have a cumulative effect on your body and can poison you over a long period of time in very tiny doses. And… NO ONE, including OSHA has a clue as how long they are still dangerous! Basically, if you have an odor in your container… you’re smelling a chemical. I now own a container which holds a large amount of hazardous waste that… used to be all my worldly possessions. I haven’t been in my container for a couple months now and most of my medical conditions (including my a-fib) have returned to normal with the exception of the feeling in my left hand. I can’t afford to pursue a law suit because testing of the container alone is 12,000 dollars and toxicology testing, lawyers and professional witnesses are astronomical.
Moral of the story…. buyer beware. Don’t trust these containers even if you don’t see warning stickers or notices. Do not spend any time in them unless the floors have been removed and the inside walls have been thoroughly scrubbed and seal coated by a hazmat team. If you want to take this risk, do it with no less than a gas mask!
This is an on-going research. If you have comments, questions or something you would like to add or share… please comment.
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