There will be two types of welders reading this article. The first will think this is a joke. That no one could seriously believe that milk would be a suitable shield against a now known carcinogen. The other has heard from their peers that drinking milk does protect them from welding and wants to know whether there is any truth to this tale. Below, we take a look at the facts and give you the answers once and for all.
Drinking milk to protect you from welding fume
The first concept is that after drinking milk, the body will absorb the calcium from the milk and this will “fill up” the spaces that other heavy metals like zinc and cadmium would otherwise fill. By filling these gaps, the welder lowers the potential intake of these heavy metals.
While the body will absorb calcium, this process relies on the digestion system pathway NOT the respiratory system. Therefore, the heavy metals that make their way into the respiratory pathway by breathing in welding fume are in no way affected by the intake of milk through the digestion system. Furthermore, a healthy diet means there should be no calcium deficiency, so the extra calcium in the milk will not be absorbed (or very little).
Holding milk in the mouth while welding acts as a filter
The other theory is that welders would hold the milk in their mouth while welding. After welding, they would spit the now dirty milk out! Trying to use it as a scrubber solution.
The whole notion is wrong. Holding the milk in your mouth forces the welder to breathe through their nose. Again, this process relies on the respiratory system with the welding fume being transported to the welder’s lungs.
So how should welders protect themselves from welding fume?
To learn more about how to protect yourself from welding fume please visit our resources below or contact AWS.
