Fumes from burning or welding Galvanized Iron

A. I was told to never weld galvanized pipe. Zinc oxide is bad and gives you a headache very quickly, so you know to stop welding it. I have also heard that milk is a remedy and cleanser for zinc poisoning. If you must weld galvanized then wear a respirator.

A. As far as drinking milk after being around Galvanize metal, I couldn't say! My husband has been up all night sick, he worked with galvanized pipes at work yesterday. He drank a large glass of milk. Didn't seem to help. Doesn't your employer have to present you with some kind of warning on this stuff?

A. Hi Martha. Unfortunately, "worked with" is vague. I was a plumber's helper in my youth and worked with galvanized pipe every day; my father worked with galvanized pipe almost every working day of his life and never got sick from it once -- because he never welded it or burned it with a torch. It is exposure to the fumes from those operations that causes this illness. Your husband could have fume fever if he was welding, but he also could have food poisoning or the flu or a lot of other things; seeing a doctor is better than guessing :-)

Get back to us with what your husband does. Thanks.

A. Hi. Centigrade or Fahrenheit, Matt? If Fahrenheit, it probably isn't a problem; look up the vaporization temperature of zinc. The other thing is that zinc is not a toxin, it's an essential micronutrient and is deliberately added to vitamins, cold easing tablets, etc. -- so it's an issue of too much exposure, not any exposure. Welders without proper protective equipment can inhale clouds of it and easily become sick from overexposure.

Regards,

A. Actually, zinc oxide, which is emitted when you burn or weld galvanizing, is not toxic, however, it will make you feel like hell for a few days. I just got done cutting a lot of galvanized metal with and oxy/ acetylene torch, and I feel nauseous and my lungs feel like I just chained down a carton of Camel filters, but I know I'm in no danger. The body metabolizes zinc (read your vitamins' label). Go to OSHA's website if you don't believe me. If he is burning galvanizing he should be wearing a positive flow mask.

A. Hi Willie. I have nothing against traditional cures, and I'm sure the milk won't hurt you. But this is 2015 and people should not be welding without proper ventilation and/or protective equipment. As Ben says above, if welding or burning galvanized material, the worker should be wearing a positive flow mask.

Regards,

A. Milk as a treatment for fume fever is a lie!

It does not help because you are not flushing your lungs with it.

Cheap and easy for your employer... just gives the workers a false sense of safety.

Increasing your level of hydration and time are likely why you felt better.

Hi Scott. Thanks for making it clear that you feel that drinking milk is ineffective, and that it's certainly not a sufficient response to poisoning from metal fumes. But calling something a "lie" is accusing people of deliberately trying to deceive us, and I wouldn't go that far, especially because clinical studies (http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/65/6/1803.abstract) have shown that calcium does in fact discourage absorption of zinc.

Again though, medical attention, not milk, is what is required in the event of such poisoning. And prevention, through proper air supply, rather than treatment, is what is really called for.

Regards,