ABSTRACT
Thallium is an extremely toxic naturally occurring chemical element having a number of specialized industrial uses. It was the dominant ingredient of most commercial rodenticides for more than 45 years until the early 1970s when most countries banned this application because of the human toxicity potential. Thallium compounds are used in the manufacturing of electronic components and are incorporated into certain types of optical glass. Thallium sulfate was the primary ingredient in the most popular rat poisons and other pesticides throughout the world, but its use continues only in a few countries among which are Russia and China. An investigation into the possible source of the thallium revealed that bottles of a cola beverage that the family consumed during an evening meal had contained toxic levels of thallium, and that the addition of thallium to the cola was a deliberate act.
