Explain why egg whites and milk are used as antidotes for heavy metal poisoning?

Question

Explain why egg whites and milk are used as antidotes for heavy metal poisoning???

Answer 1

Because they are so-called the chelating agents.  Chelating agents are the substances that bind to heavy metals and form complex compounds.  Chelating comes from a foreign word meaning claw.  It is kind of like a claw in that  it grasps heavy metals and binds with it.  The complex formed consist of the central atom and the ligands.  The central atom is the milk and the egg white while the ligands are the heavy metals.  You can read further by searching about coordination chemistry.