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If you have only seen shipping containers from afar, on television or in movies, then perhaps you do not have a clear understanding yet of just how sturdy these steel containers can be. Steel can withstand most any natural weather conditions you can think of – hurricanes, winds, blizzards, dust storms – so you have a building material that is known universally for its reliability and strength.
Remember that shipping containers were designed to hold cargo and transport all kinds of goods and produce to international ports, so safety and durability were of the utmost concern in their original design, especially because they would be out at sea for weeks, even months at a time. Shipping containers were constructed with storms and violent ocean weather conditions in mind.
One potential health hazard as far as shipping container homes go, however, are the chemicals that may be contained in a used shipping container. What you may not be aware of is that these containers are not just sturdy because they are made of steel, but also because they are coated with potentially harmful chemicals like chromate and phosphorous, in order to make them even sturdier. The walls may also be coated with lead-based paints.
Although brief exposure to these chemicals may be harmless, inhaling them on a daily basis in your living room is a totally different ball game.
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