If your like me and have collected vintage shoes then you know all about the smells, deteriorating materials, glue leaking out of the midsole etc. If your also like me you may have wondered if storing 100+ pairs of old sneakers in your closet could be bad for your health. While there hasn’t been a study on the effects of that there is one thing for certain. When your dealing with older objects whether they be sneakers, a classic car or even a toy you have to keep in mind that it could be dangerous. With vintage cars they are not up to the safety standards of today, and sometimes toys were made with small parts that at the time of production weren’t seen as a hazard but later on were found to be very dangerous to small children. Which brings me to sneakers. While doing my usual vintage shoe digging I stumbled upon a 1999 article from the New York Times thats especially important to read if you’ve been stocking older models of kicks for your kids. Apparently the original White Red Jordan XIV (children’s model) was recalled because of high levels of lead in the red paint trim. A customer had complained that the paint was peeling (a common issue for a lot of our kicks) and that a child could swallow a piece. The recall applied only to Little Jordan XIV’s sizes 2c through 10c in the white red color way (model 132549 102) from 1999. Nike eventually recalled those shoes and severed ties with the supplier for not adhering to Nike’s policy on banned substances, but who knows how many were sold before the recall. Makes you wonder if there are any more potential health threats from our vintage kicks………Via NEW YORK TIMES & CPSC