Home/Current Affairs/Rising Cases of Thallium Poisoning: A Silent and Deadly Murder Weapon
Rising Cases of Thallium Poisoning: A Silent and Deadly Murder Weapon
10 Nov 2023
Context:
The cases of Poisoning by thallium as a murder weapon is increasing in India.
Tragic Incident in Maharashtra: Two Women Accused of Poisoning Five Family Members with Thallium
Recently, In Mahagaon village (Maharashtra) two women allegedly killed five family members by lacing their food with Thallium.
Overview of Thallium: Properties, Applications, and its Dark History in Poisoning Cases
Thallium is a chemical element with the symbol Tl and atomic number 81. It is a soft, heavy, inelastic, gray post-transition metal that is not found free in nature.
Characteristics: Thallium is tasteless and odourless and has been used by murder as it is difficult to detect.
Application: It is used in the manufacture of electronics, low temperature thermometers, Optical lenses, and imitation precious jewels it also has use in some chemical reactions and medical procedures.
Thallium Poisoning: Routes of Exposure and Normal Body Levels
Ingestion (through food or drink) is an important route of exposure.
It can also be absorbed into the body by inhalation and skin contact.
The normal range of thallium in the body is between 0.15 to 0.36 units.
Effects of Thallium Poisoning: Symptoms and Timeline
Adverse effects are usually delayed by 12 to 24 hours in acute poisoning and reach their maximum by the second and third week after exposure (slow Poisoning cases).
Hair loss is a classic symptom of thallium poisoning.
Transient nausea and vomiting are seen first, followed by painful sensation in the arms/hands and legs/feet within 1 to 5 days(sometimes more)
Other Effects include rapid heart rate and high blood pressure; abnormal heart rythms; respiratory failures; headache; seizures, delirium, and coma
Thallium Poisoning Treatment: Prussian Blue and Other Approaches
Prussian blue is a pill that can help remove radioactive cesium and thallium from people’s bodies.
It traps radioactive cesium and thallium in the intestines and keeps them from being reabsorbed by the body.
It reduces the time that radioactive cesium and thallium stay in the body, it helps limit the amount of time the body is exposed to radiation.
Other Treatments:Hemodialysis and hemoperfusion are also used to remove thallium from the bloodstream.
At a later stage of the treatment additional potassium is used to mobilize thallium from the tissue.
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