Thallium toxicity pdf file

Introduction thallium is a metallic element that occurs in the earths crust at a concentration of 0. There was no recovery of the hair which had fallen out and apparently many of the hair follicles had been irremediably injured. In the present study, we investigated a case of a 53yearold man who was hospitalized for persistent stabbing pain in the abdomen and lower extremities for 20 days. Acute toxicity refers to those adverse effects occurring following oral or dermal administration of a single dose of a substance, or multiple doses given within 24 hours, or an. Acute thallium poisoning is primarily characterized by gastrointestinal, neurological, and dermatological symptoms, while neurologic findings predominate with chronic exposure and tend to progress, even despite decreasing blood thallium levels. The first resulted in the premature delivery of an infant at 6 months gestation after maternal thallium poisoning, and treatment with prussian blue at an unknown stage of pregnancy pai 1987. Thallium poisoning an overview sciencedirect topics. Thallium is a naturally occurring trace element, widely distributed in the earths crust, but at very. Thallium was the poison of choice for saddam hussein to use on dissidents, which even allowed for them to emigrate before dying. This document includes nine of the commonly used thallium compounds. The sale of thallium in britain is strictly licensed because of its toxicity and potential for use in murder, which is helped by the fact that thallous salts are. Thallium blood levels may be elevated after recent exposures, but it is cleared from the blood relatively quickly.

Jun 23, 2015 few laboratories can perform an assay for thallium. Acute toxicity will produce a thallium concentration many times higher than the reference range of 05 ngml. Thallium poisoning begins mildly involves nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, followed by a symptomfree period of. Users are referred to the original paper copy of the toxicological profile for the official text, figures, and tables. Thallium poisoning is more common in developing countries where thallium rat poisons are still available and where there are less rigorous health and safety workplace practices. Because of this high toxicity, the world health organization who recommends against the use of thallium. Occurrence in the environment and toxicity to fish. Army center for health promotion and preventive medicine wildlife toxicity assessment for thallium and compounds cas no. The clinical presentation of thallium toxicity can vary. Thallium factsheet national biomonitoring program cdc. Acute thallium poisoning is usually due to ingestion of the salts, while chronic.

Thalliums similar size to potassium results in early stimulation then inhibition of potassiumdependent processes. The anticoagulants, indandiones and red squill are less hazardous to humans and domestic animals. Michael rosenbaum, md, and ernest hubbard based on an interview with nancy faass, msw, mph townsend letter, the examiner of alternative medicine alternative medicine magazine articles are written by researchers, health practitioners and patients. Thallium tl thallium can be assimilated transdermal through the skin, by inhalation, or by oral ingestion. Teratogenicity no data available specific target organ toxicity single exposure globally harmonized system no data available specific target organ toxicity repeated exposure globally harmonized system. Thallium has now shown up in my biofeedback test, only thing i can figure is that the hg being moved out by the cutler protocol is unearthing some thallium. Development and validation of an analytical method for total thallium in rodent plasma and tissues by. Thallium poisoning in the dog iowa state university. A common initial clinical manifestation of thallium poisoning is gastrointestinal symptoms followed by delayed onset of neurological symptoms. Reports of poisoning of domestic animals by thal lium were published as early as 1920. Since its introduction in medicine, toxic consequences were constantly reported. Acute toxicity, oral category 2 acute toxicity, inhalation category 2 acute aquatic toxicity category 2 ghs label elements, including precautionary statements pictogram signal word danger hazard statements h272 may intensify fire.

Toxicological profile for thallium agency for toxic. Small amounts of thallium are used to make certain medical agents and electronics. Thallium is released into the environment through its use in rat poison in the manufacture of special glass, fluorescent colors and synthetic gemstones. It is particularly dangerous because compounds containing thallium are colorless, odorless, and tasteless. However in the early 1930s numerous cases of thallium poisoning, with some causing death were. Pdf thallium poisoning is one of the most complex and serious toxicities known to man. In severe cases, paralysis of the respiratory muscles may occur, even leading to coma.

Chemical and physical properties of thallium and selected thallium compounds. The painful neuropathy, however, starts as early as the day after exposure, and should prompt concern about thallium toxicity. Ingestion of toxic amounts of thallium might cause gastrointestinal signs and symptoms, most commonly abdominal pain. Physical examination revealed diffuse alopecia of the scalp. Once called inheritance powder because of its popularity among assassins and greedy heirs, thallium is a globally recognized poison that is tasteless, odorless, and dissolves easily in water. Once commonly referred to as inheritance powder, it was the assassins poison of choice since it is odorless, tasteless, colorless, dissolves in water, and can kill in anywhere from a few hours to a couple days creating a mystery as to what the true cause of death was. Feb 19, 2018 thallium accumulates in tissues with high potassium concentrations such as muscle, heart, and central and peripheral nerve tissue. Thallium was also used as a rodenticide in both the us and the uk, but this was banned in. Thallium itself and compounds containing the element are highly toxic. Thallium is present in the effluents of the basemetal mining industry, and its acute toxicity to juvenile atlantic salmon is approximately equal to that of copper. Because of associated loose motions, skin lesions, and liver and kidney dysfunction arsenic poisoning was considered. Major concern for human exposure to thallium compounds is through contaminated drinking water maximum contaminant level for thallium in drinking water 2.

Thallium toxicity in humans following oral exposure. Symptoms are primarily related to the gastrointestinal and nervous system, while diffuse alopecia 3 weeks after ingestion is typical for thallium intoxication. Thallium poisoning is still a problem in many countries. Jul 07, 2011 thallium is excreted in breast milk and can cross the placental barrier. Development and validation of an analytical method for. Despite fetal complications ranging from severe toxicity and permanent deficit to normal development, the only consistent effect was increased risk of prematurity and low birth weight. The information given is based on our knowledge of this product, at the time of publication. Thallium is a metal found in small amounts in soil and some minerals.

Feb 19, 2018 because laboratory studies are generally nonspecific, any unexplained peripheral neuropathy, especially accompanied by alopecia, should raise clinical suspicion for thallium toxicity. Users are referred to the original paper copy of the. Use of the antidote prussian blue has only been reported in two separate cases of thallium poisoning in pregnancy. Because of this high toxicity, the world health organization who recommends against the use of thallium in rodent and insect poisons. Thallium can also be obtained from the smelting of lead and zinc ores. Route of entry into the body the routes of thallium entry into the body are through inhalation, ingestion and. Occasionally, there are reports on thallium poisoning as results of suicide or murder attempt or. Thallium compounds have been used as rodenticides for many years. In humans the most characteristic sign of thallium toxicity is. Levine ke, tudan, grohsepm, weber fx, levine ma, kim ysj. Assessing the fate and toxicity of thallium i and thallium.

The limited use of thallium will not lead to a global contamination of the environment, but localized problems. The fda has approved prussian blue radiogardase as an antidote for thallium toxicity. Ever heard of the toxic heavy metal called thallium. The clinical presentation of thallium toxicity can vary depending on the type, severity, and timeframe of the exposure. As a result, the symptoms are commonly dismissed by traditional health practitioners altogether and lead to a misdiagnosis of the patients condition 8. Thallium toxicity has multiorgan involvement and presents with vague symptoms that are often attributed to other causes. After pb and pe treatment, as well as other symptomatic supportive. Gastrointestinal findings may be mild or nonexistent, especially in chronic poisoning. Thallium poisoning is very rare and may occur accidentally, through occupational exposure and because of its potency, it is described as a weapon of intentional poisoning. It does not have a known biological use and does not appear to be an essential element for life. The more water soluble forms sulphate, acetate, malonate and carbonate are more toxic than the less water.

Spermatogenesis including genetic material, sperm morphology,motility, and count. Toxicity and pollution potential of thallium toxicity. In consultation with the medical toxicologist, initiate treatment of patients with high suspicion of thallium toxicity while awaiting laboratory confirmation. Symptoms of thallium toxicity are diverse in both humans and animals. Thallium poisoning is associated with these environment exposures. All atsdr toxicological profile pdf files are electronic conversions from paper copy or other electronic ascii text files. In the past, thallium was used in rodent killers and hair removal products.

A successfully treated case of criminal thallium poisoning ncbi. In addition, further investigation into the role of dilution water and its effects on thallium toxicity should be conducted so an accurate comparison of toxicity can. The relative toxicity of a thallium compound depends on its water solubility. Thallium poisoning causes symptoms within hours after ingestion. Integrated risk information system iris september 2009. Thallium compounds have been widely used for rodenticides. Thallium poisoning california poison control system ucsf. Aquatic life toxicology introducti on the data base for the effects of thallium on freshwater organisms does not permit any determination of the effects of water quality on toxicity. Thallium also occurs as a trace element in iron pyrite, and thallium is extracted as a byproduct of roasting this mineral for the production of sulfuric acid.

This safety data sheet should be used in conjunction with technical sheets. Sections i health hazard assessments for noncarcinogenic effects and. Once used as rat poison thallium was banned many years ago and has been associated to the loss of the ability to walk. Thallium poisoning should be suspected in any patient with neurological symptoms and hair loss. Batemsn department of chemistry, leland staxiord jr. The nervous system as a target organ of thallium is supported by observations from human case reports and animal studies. In addition, further investigation into the role of dilution water and its effects on thallium toxicity should be conducted so an accurate comparison of toxicity can be conducted between studies. The thallium was slipped into bottles of cocacola at the carr and trepal homes. It is recommended that speciation of thallium be assessed in modified i. Initial complaints are related to the gastrointestinal system and include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, hematemesis and diarrhea which often contains blood 12. Thallium is a highly toxic element and salts of tl are colorless, odorless, and tasteless.

In 1995, zhu ling was the victim of an unsolved attempted thallium poisoning in beijing, china. Some of the newer anticoagulant compounds, termed secondgeneration anticoagulants, may cause human toxicity. Key enzymes involved in thallium toxicity include pyruvate kinase and succinate dehydrogenase. In the following years the toxic characteristics of the metal were recognized but. Clinical characteristics and treatment of thallium poisoning.

Toxicity data were found for five of these compounds thallium sulfate, thallium oxide, thallium nitrate, thallium acetate, and thallium carbonate. In clinical practice, thallium poisoning is very hard to diagnose, because it is a very uncommon disease and its clinical manifestations are extremely complicated. Although thallium has a lot of uses, as discussed above, one of the most important things to remember about this element is its toxicity. Thallium is the element rat poison and industrial waste. Thallium is an odorless, colorless, and rare heavy metal that occurs in nature, primarily in the form of oxides, halides, sulphates, carbonates, and acetate compounds. Thallium is a naturally occurring trace element, widely distributed in the earths crust, but at very low concentrations. Sep 26, 2019 the atsdr toxicological profile succinctly characterizes the toxicologic and adverse health effects information for the hazardous substance described here. The email protected is taken up more by tissues in pigmented than in albino rabbits, suggesting the use of radio thallium for the diagnosis of melanoma.

Subacute signs and symptoms onset of days to weeks following ingestion after a substantial, acute exposure or chronic exposure to limited amounts of thallium might include those of a severely painful ascending neuropathy as well as ataxia, seizures. Because laboratory studies are generally nonspecific, any unexplained peripheral neuropathy, especially accompanied by alopecia, should raise clinical suspicion for thallium toxicity. Thallium can be released into the environment by cement manufacture, the burning of certain coal deposits and the production of nonferrous metals kazantzis, 2000. The usual treatment of waste water with alkali to remove heavy metals by precipitation has little effect on thallium. Successful treatment of a patient with severe thallium. Acute thallium poisoning can cause severe central nervous system damage.

Toxicology tests are done to evaluate thallium concentrations in. Charcoal binds to thallium, keeping it within the intestinal tract. Epa does not permit thallium in drinking water above the concentration of 0. The general use of these compounds by pest control companies, and their availability. It is due to indiscriminate therapeutic use that the. Thallium accumulates in tissues with high potassium concentrations such as muscle, heart, and central and peripheral nerve tissue. Many people have never heard of it, yet thallium toxicity is worse than lead, cadmium and mercury toxicity combined. Aspects of bioanalytical method validation for the quantitative determination of trace elements. Recognition and management of pesticide poisonings. Toxicity of thallium salts stricted and discolored for a short distance above the scalp. It has been considered one of the most toxic heavy metals.

Since the introduction of thallium sulfate as a very effective rat and mouse poison about 50 years ago. Jun 05, 1993 in clinical practice thallium isotopes are used in cardiac scanning, but the use of thallium salts to treat scalp ringworm was abandoned earlier this century because of their toxicity. The classic symptoms of acute thallium toxicity are. Relatively high doses of thallium caused neurological symptoms in humans e.

Thallium is slightly more acutely toxic to mammals than mercury, and as acutely toxic as copper to fish. A 24hour urine thallium concentration is the most accurate way to assess thallium toxicity but a spot urine level is likely to provide a more rapid and reasonably reliable answer. This conversion may have resulted in character translation or format errors. Although its acute biological effects have been widely investigated and are well. In clinical practice thallium isotopes are used in cardiac scanning, but the use of thallium salts to treat scalp ringworm was abandoned earlier this century because of their toxicity. The reemergence of thallium as a heavy metal contaminant of human populations. In trace amounts, through conatmination of waer supplies and as a waste product of certain industries, thallium still contaminates our environments and creates an increased risk of negative health effects. This presents as excruciating pain and hyperaestheia on the soles of the feet, along with extreme calf tenderness to the point where at times the weight of bedclothes touching the legs can be unbearable. In 1995, zhu ling was the victim of an unsolved attempted thallium poisoning in. Due to thalliums toxicity, the occupational safety and health administration osha has set an exposure limit of 0. Thallium s similar size to potassium results in early stimulation then inhibition of potassiumdependent processes.