Thallium is a metallic element, silvery-white, soft, oxidized and highly toxic, and thallium compounds are also toxic. Thallium compounds are colorless, tasteless, water-soluble, and slowly and continuously aggravated after poisoning, making them the first choice for poisoning by lawless elements. Thallium poisoning incidents have been reported nationwide: on November 24, 1994, a female senior student at Tsinghua University, Zhu Ling, was jealous of her classmates and poisoned herself with thallium, which shocked China and abroad at the time. In addition, some of the more influential thallium poisoning incidents are.
On March 2, 2006, two teachers of a secondary school in Zunyi County, Guizhou Province, were poisoned with thallium, which was later investigated by the police as the poisoning of their colleague Tao Mou. In June 2008, a man in Jiayuguan, Gansu Province, who had a grudge against his girlfriend after breaking up with her, twice put thallium metal powder in the food of the other party’s house, causing poisoning to nine people, including the woman’s family and friends. Thallium is also widely used as an industrial raw material: thallium compounds can be used to prepare poisonous rats, insecticides, mosquito killers, hair loss agents (thallium acetate), skin ointments, etc.; such daily exposure often causes thallium poisoning. In addition, industrial sodium chloride, a by-product of fireworks production, used to contain a large amount of thallium, which was often sold by unscrupulous people as table salt and could cause poisoning to those who consumed it. Clinical manifestations of thallium poisoning: 1.
The symptoms of thallium poisoning include headache, nausea and vomiting 12 to 24 hours after thallium salt is absorbed through the mouth. 2. Hair loss is a specific symptom of thallium poisoning. Hair loss after thallium poisoning is usually reversible, and hair will generally begin to regenerate about 4 weeks after thallium poisoning is cured, with complete recovery in 3 months. 3. Patients begin to experience peripheral neuritis symptoms such as bilateral lower limb numbness within 12 hours to 1 week after poisoning. 4, Patients with thallium poisoning will also have characteristic white horizontal lines on their nails called mirena after 30 days. 5. Laboratory tests include, abnormal liver function, hematuria, proteinuria, abnormal blood thallium and urine thallium levels. Treatment: The most commonly used is the removal of thallium ions by adsorption in vitro using blood perfusion therapy. In addition, drugs such as Prussian blue, sodium dimercaptopropionate and sodium thiosulfate can be used to promote thallium ion excretion, oral potassium chloride solution to promote thallium metabolism via the kidneys, and diuretics to accelerate thallium excretion. The frequent occurrence of thallium poisoning in the society warns people that prevention and control of thallium poisoning should not be neglected. As medical personnel, it is necessary to master the clinical manifestations of thallium poisoning and rescue and treatment measures. The relevant state departments should strengthen the prevention and control of thallium salt poisoning cases. Firstly, they should manage thallium and its compounds from the source, so as not to give lawless elements a chance to take advantage of it; secondly, they should strengthen the ability of public security to detect and combat poisoning cases, so as to deter criminals.