Welding Galvanized

Date 07-17-2008 03:46

Absolutely. You have one detail wrong. You drink the milk before welding, not after. However there is one hitch. Since the fumes "enter" the blood stream through the lungs, you have to inhale the milk so as to coat the lungs to prevent the fumes from being absorbed.

The downside is you might drown!

Good luck - Al

By pypLynr (***)

Date 07-17-2008 03:47

12 oz.'s BEFORE you weld ... I would drink it about 15-30 mins. before. If you drink it after , you defeat the purpose of preventing the poisoning ... you are treating the poisoning. The object is to PREVENT - not treat. The damage is done if you drink it after... you are just reducing the effects.

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 07-17-2008 06:03

I will have to run this one by the safety dept & OSHA. While it might help, I strongly suggest You take precautions to NOT inhale the fumes.

The blacksmithing community lost a dear friend, Paw Paw Wilson, a coupple years ago due to zink fume poisioning agravating some pre-existing respritory problems He had. While it is true that the zink fumes didn't kill Him, the complications that killed Him wouldn't have happened had He not breathed the fumes.

By pypLynr (***)

Date 07-17-2008 13:45

I am sorry to hear about your friends' death. But zinc poisoning is a long term exposure type problem. It doesn't effect the body immediately or does it leave the body immediately. It takes time for the fumes to saturate into the blood , thus is the reason you don't feel the effects until later after welding . If it was sudden ,then you would become sick immediately upon breathing the fumes. The calcium in the milk is what nuetralizes the chemical effects of the fumes and if you drink before you weld... you have the antidote before you get the poison. If you drink after you get the poison... you are treating ; not preventing.

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 07-18-2008 04:51

Clarification: I was not suggesting that Paw Paw's pre-existing respiratory conditions came from zink fumes, they did not. However the the fume fever started the chain of events that killed Him. If He had no other problems He would have gotten over it.

By Sourdough (****)

Date 08-15-2008 17:17

I am trying to kick pneumonia brought on by a couple good puffs of lead based paint fumes off of a derrick built in the 50's. That combined with the heat and a tight schedule, (lots of hours in the blazing sun), finally put me in bad shape a couple weeks ago.

Just wondering how bad this could be for me in the future..............

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 08-16-2008 04:49

SWNorris posted a link to the article about Paw Paw Wilson lower on this page. He had emphisema to begin with. The lead and everything else in the smoke can't do You any good, but the lead problem itself [as I understand it anyway] is more of a brain issue.

An interesting note: in people exposed to asbestos, smokers are 50 times more likely to develope the lung problems associated with asbestos than non smokers. What this says to Me is that continually iritated tissues are more suceptable to other problems, so as a welder You need to be really carefull about what You inhale.

By RBeldyk (**)

Date 07-17-2008 21:02

AWS's Metal Fume Fever Safety & Health fact Sheet http://files.aws.org/technical/facts/FACT-25.PDF

By Cactusthewelder (*****)

Date 07-19-2008 13:37

The Ironworkers Union has it in their contract that the Contractor shall provide 1 pint of Whole White Milk per Hour to any welder welding Galvanized Metals

By 803056

Date 07-20-2008 19:08

I would like to see that in writing. It sounds like one of the many "wife's tales" heard nearly daily.

Back on subject, you have to ask yourself, "How does the metal fume enter the body?"

Most reasonable people would agree the fumes enter through the lungs and then into the blood stream. That being the case, the next question would be, "How do I prevent the fumes from entering the lungs?"

Drinking milk isn't a reasonable preventive measure. Wearing a respirator does seem reasonable, more reasonable than drinking milk to prevent the fumes from entering the blood stream.

Now, if someone wants to tell me the milk helps to sooth the sore throat you might get while working around such fumes, I would reason that the milk increases the production of mucous and that would minimize the irritation to the throat sounds reasonable. To tell me that by drinking milk, I would prevent the fumes from entering the lungs, I would have to disagree.

Best regards - Al

By Cactusthewelder (*****)

Date 07-20-2008 22:24

Well I joined Ironworkers Local 84 in Houston in Dec.1979 I am now a rig welder and have been for many years However I still have my Book. I promise you it is no tale. I know milk doesnt enter your body the same as fumes. I know that respirators dont help much. But, You need to understand what Galanize poisining does to you. One of the first things it does is depletes the calcium in your body therefore reducing all other defense mechanisms in your body. Milk Replaces Calcium. You can also take calcium talbets for the same effect. You will not prevent the fumes from entering your body. You will reduce the effcts of galvanize poisoning

By 803056

Date 07-20-2008 22:35 Edited 07-20-2008 22:44

I've been an Ironworker for over 35 years (Local 15, Hartford, CT) and I've never seen it mentioned in any of the books I've seen used by the International.

If you have a copy of a book issued by the International, I hope its out of print and no longer used, because it is pure BS. The only thing that will prevent metal fume fever (galvanizing is not the only metal coating that will cause it) is a resipirator (not a dust mask) with an approved filter or one with an air supply.

You can drink a gallon of milk and you will be just as sick after drinking it as you were before. However, you will have to pee like the devil after drinking it, I assure you.

Al

By snuffman (***)

Date 07-20-2008 22:49 Edited 07-20-2008 23:24

I've welded a bunch of galv. using this trick and it worked. I to thought they were crazy but I kept getting sick untill I drank 2 glasses before I started 1 at lunch and 1 at break. Problem solved

By 803056

Date 07-20-2008 23:20

I'm not one to argue with success, but it never helped me. I've had metal fume fever several times in the past and now I can't even braze with brazing rod that contains zinc unless I'm outside where there is plenty of fresh air and the fumes are free to dissipate. The literature says there are no long term affects, but my body tells me otherwise.

The milk certainly can't hurt you unless you are lactose intolerant.

Best regards - Al

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 07-21-2008 03:21

Good point Al, If I drank that much milk I wouldn't get fume fever because I would not be able to get off the can. Another chemo side effect.

By Metarinka (****)

Date 08-08-2008 06:17

one of my teachers who was a foreman at I believe a boiler maker union said there was a clause in their contracts. More specifically that they would be compesentated for a quart of milk a day if they had to weld galvanized material.

that being said milk is much like advil, it only treats the symptoms not the cause. I spot welded galvanized once and i would never do it again, the health risks are real.

By The Welder Date 08-02-2008 19:33

This is the WORST advice and biggest SAFETY MYTH ever created for a Welder to follow!!!
First of all, when you start to get sick from the fumes of galvanized zinc, its your body telling
you to "get away" or "poison"!!!! When you drink milk, it coats your stomach, confusing your
bodies defense sensors and allowing you to inhale alot more fumes before getting sick....ITS
YOUR LUNGS THAT ARE BEING AFFECTED THE MOST BY THE POISON AND NOT YOUR STOMACH!!!!

By swnorris (****)

Date 08-05-2008 13:38

Here's a very interesting link on the subject. This is the man Dave referred to as Paw Paw in a response in this thread.

http://www.anvilfire.com/iForge/tutor/safety3/index.htm

By jrw159

Date 08-05-2008 13:44

Thats sad, but what is even more sad is that very few will pay attention and take it seriously. Whether it is a little at a time or all at once, it is not good. JMHO

jrw159

By and4rik (**)

Date 08-06-2008 01:43

I've always said if you really want to quite smoking, become a full time welder. It worked for me, pack a day for 3 plus years.
Interesting science with the calcium leeching out of yor body though. Fell on my elbow 8 months ago, left a chip, and a crater, just now healing. Any other info on azlheimers and maganese LT exposure, I havent really seen anthing other than the possibility that ther is a connection between the two. I think Alzheimers is categorized as a brain related disease which would mean maganese fumes are crossing the blood/brain barrier.

By Jeffrey Grady (***)

Date 09-28-2008 04:36

This is the reson i will stay away from welding on Galv. if it's at all possible. I had one bad experience at work with this. The Galv. was supposed to be media blasted prior to welding, But the tread pans on the stair stringers i was fabing up had to get out for coating for the customer. I was told to just go ahead and get it together and it would be media blasted as a complete unit. 2 sets later i was feeling horrible. Felt so sick i didn't think i would make it through the rest of the day. I knew that it should have been removed 2 or more inches from the weld edge, but i was pushed to get it done. Nose, Throat and lungs burned for 2 days afterwards. I learned a valuable lesson from that experience...Don't breath that stuff into your lungs!
Jeffrey