Bomber Tank Becomes Wading Pool

How did the builder of this pool ensure that chemical residue left inside the wing, such as trace levels of lead, not reach the little kid? I know gasoline was leaded back in those days,but I am not sure about aircraft gas. Though I would guess it was, because metallurgy on aircraft engines weren't much better than automobiles.

Even if the risk is minute, I am not risking my child health, because I am too cheap to buy a $20 wading pool.

I think this was taken back in 1947 when money was scarce, and I do not believe you could just go down to your local WalMart and buy a $20 wading pool. Also if you read the statement about the pool it was "laminated neoprene and cloth" which means it not only was had to be cleaned up very good in order for the laminate to stick, but was laminated with Neoprene which is like rubber. This sealed any remaining containments in, and kept the child safe. Also, since you can go out and buy a $20 wading pool in our time, you would never have to worry about subjection you child to this in our time.

Unfortunately Timias, People back then really didn't know or appreciate the risks they were taking sometimes. Lead bans didn't kick in till the late 1970's and by then, who knows how many people were affected by exposure to it. There were other dangers not mentioned here as well. A used gas tank and you are going to cut it in half with power tools which can cause sparks or a blow torch... Can you say Boom?
I have to say though that when I was a kid, we did build stuff on the cheap because we didn't have much. To us back then, this sort of stuff wasn't dangerous, it was fun.

boom? i really doubt anyone was going to cut it with gas IN it. i've never lit something full of gas, but lighting a tire with lighter fluid in it doesn't cause much of a boom. i would imagine an old gas tank would do even less, if anything at all.

Meowmix4jo - The fumes from fuel gasoline are the flammable part, so even if it was empty of gas, I don't imagine a fuel tank would be very easy to air out. I do agree that whoever sold these tanks emptied (and probably washed) them first before cutting them out of the planes they were decommissioning. I just find it fascinating that you could buy something like an air plane wing tang for 5$. At the time it seems like they could have been an cheap alternative for storage tanks for other fuels or liquids.

Cool idea to turn a fuel tank into a pool though, creative person whoever thought that up.

I'm guessing that most of these tanks were from the manufacturer or the replacement depot -- they probably had never been used yet.

As for the lead, well it was in the paint and the plumbing when I was a kid. Not to mention the shotgun pellets. Probably not the best stuff for you, but maybe the hazard factors of a lot of things are overblown these days.

Wow thats not to smart cause your right there could still be some chemical residue left on the shell of the tank

DANGEROUS