Australia's Science Forum

Can anyone enlighten me? I have no idea why these trays/drawers were designed like this. The bottom half is empty and the top half is lined with lead. They are part of custom-made shelving and one is in my chem store room, holding lead nitrate bottles on porcelain saucers. They are also very heavy! Does anyone recognise them? Do they have a special purpose? Are they safe to store chemicals in, as long as on the bottom shelf/floor, due to weight?
Thanks

Maybe they were made to be used as a safe tray, and catch any liquid spilling out of a broken bottle??

We have a couple of lead trays here that our acid solutions have always been stored in .

It's strange that yours were in a drawer though .wouldn't have thought you would fit very high bottles etc in them . Unless it was those old reagent bottles with the ground glass lids .

Should you even have lead at all these days? Especially such a large amount given possible contamination? Not sure on this, just a thought.

That's why I am wondering as well, Merilyn1! Turns out there are quite a number of these drawers scattered around the old building, they've been stacked neatly so the lead was invisible. Sometimes I'm too scared to open unused cupboard doors, a treasure trove of headaches!

Bigmack, I'm relieved I'm not the only one with a large quantity of lead - I hope the acids spilling on the lead don't cause any dangerous reactions?

I'm happy with it . I sometimes think we can get a bit carried away with lead Paranoia.
I was raised on tank water where the roof was full of lead head nails and lead flashing . I then had lead solder running through my fingers and breathed the fumes of it everyday for 25 years . Am I sick ?? maybe , maybe not . I don't feel sick .