A 3-year-old girl in Hunan province became expressionless and unable to walk for unknown reasons. She recently visited a hospital and was diagnosed with thallium poisoning, sparking concern.
The mother of the 3-year-old girl, Mrs. Liu, told Xiangjiang Morning News on May 8th, “In the past month, my child suddenly couldn’t jump up, walking as if stepping on cotton, and her hair was falling out in bunches.” After visiting a local hospital, doctors suspected poisoning and referred her to the Hunan Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Hospital (affiliated with South China University). Tests revealed significantly elevated levels of thallium in the blood and urine, confirming acute thallium poisoning.
Public records show that thallium is a highly toxic metal, with a minimum lethal dose for adults of about 12 milligrams per kilogram body weight, less than 1 gram can be fatal. Thallium salts are colorless, tasteless crystals that dissolve in water without a distinctive taste, making it difficult to detect. In China in the 1990s, the thallium poisoning case of Zhu Ling, a talented student at Tsinghua University, caused a sensation. The poisoning left her completely paralyzed, 100% disabled, with delayed brain function, leading to an early death. The “poisoning case” ultimately went unsolved and remains a mystery to this day.
According to the director of the Poison Medicine Department at the hospital, thallium toxicity is higher than arsenic. Common ways people are exposed include unintentionally consuming contaminated food or water, such as wild vegetables near mining areas, tainted well water, river water, etc. Additionally, due to its colorless and tasteless nature, thallium can easily be mixed into food.
Acute thallium poisoning has a certain incubation period. Those poisoned will experience nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal symptoms within 12 to 24 hours of exposure. After 12 hours to several days, individuals may develop limb pain, numbness, weakness, as well as peripheral nerve damage. Over time, symptoms can progress to include headaches, sleep disturbances, anxiety, impaired consciousness, reduced vision, and central nervous system and cranial nerve damage. Within 1 to 3 weeks of poisoning, hair loss in bunches may occur. Severe thallium poisoning can cause damage to vital organs such as the liver, kidney, heart, and result in death.
Reportedly, treatment for “thallium poisoning” is not difficult. Early detection and treatment can lead to complete recovery for acute thallium poisoning patients. However, the mortality rate is high for severe cases, and individuals may be left with varying degrees of sequelae. The cause of death is closely related to delayed diagnosis, misdiagnosis, and mistreatment.
After the incident was publicized, it quickly drew attention online. Many netizens questioned, “How did this little girl get poisoned? Why is she the only one in the family with thallium poisoning? Could someone have intentionally poisoned her?” “Did she drink water contaminated with thallium previously?” “Even a small amount above the limit shouldn’t have caused the child to react like this.” “The most crucial point in this matter is finding out the cause of the child’s poisoning to prevent further harm to the public.”
On the morning of May 9th, the 3-year-old girl’s thallium poisoning incident trended on Weibo’s hot search list.