Egg white and milk are used as an antidote for heavy metal poisoning because they contain proteins which have <span> sulfhydryl (-SH) groups in their structures, which can bind heavy metal ions and rid the body of them. Egg whites absorb this metal, and milk neutralizes the stomach acid, thus expunging heavy metal from the body via vomiting. </span>
The poison then acts on the protein of the milk/egg rather than on the protein sites and tissues of the mouth, oesophagus, and stomach. Vomiting can be induced to expel the poison that has combined with the milk/egg.
