Interesting Fact No.10

Thallium poisoning is in the news due to a case of an ex-KGB colonel being seriously ill in hospital with a suspected case of it.

Thallium appparently is a little bit like table salt and that a very small amount could be lethal. It is a heavy metal that is tasteless, colourless, odourless and soluble in water. It takes about a gram to kill you.

If it gets into the body, it attacks the nervous system and internal organs. It also causes hair loss, vomiting, and diarrhoea. The early symptoms of poisoning are often confused with many viral diseases including influenza, delaying its detection. Within three days of being poisoned, victims can suffer headaches, muscle problems, convulsions, coma, delirium, dementia and even psychosis.

But it doesn't appear over the counter in a pharmacy so you only have to beware if you are a double agent.