Thallium
Thallium can affect your nervous system, lung, heart, liver, and kidney
The significant, likely routes of exposure near hazardous waste sites are through swallowing thalliumcontaminated soil
or dust, drinking contaminated water, and skin contact with contaminated soil
1.4 How can thallium affect my health?
Thallium can affect your nervous system, lung, heart, liver, and kidney if large amounts are eaten or drunk for short
periods of time. Temporary hair loss, vomiting, and diarrhea can also occur and death may result after exposure to large
amounts of thallium for short periods. Thallium can be fatal from a dose as low as 1 gram. No information was found on
health effects in humans after exposure to smaller amounts of thallium for longer periods. Birth defects observed in
children of mothers exposed to small amounts of thallium did not occur more often than would be expected in the
general population. The length of time and the amount of thallium eaten by the mothers are not known exactly. As in
humans, animal studies indicate that exposure to large amounts of thallium for brief periods of time can damage the
nervous system and heart and can cause death. Animal reproductive organs, especially the testes, are damaged after
drinking small amounts of thalliumcontaminated water for 2 months. These effects have not been seen in humans. No
information was found on effects in animals after exposure to small amounts of thallium for longer periods of time. No
studies were found on whether thallium can cause cancer in humans or animals
1.3 How can thallium enter and leave my body?
Thallium can enter your body when you eat food or drink water contaminated with thallium, breathe thallium in the air,
and when your skin comes in contact with it. When thallium is swallowed most of it is absorbed and rapidly goes to
various parts of your body, especially the kidney and liver. Thallium leaves your body slowly. Most of the thallium leaves
your body in urine and to a lesser extent in feces. It can be found in urine within 1 hour after exposure. After 24 hours,
increasing amounts are found in feces. It can be found in urine as long as 2 months after exposure. About half the
thallium that enters various parts of your body leaves them within 3 days.
The significant, likely routes of exposure near hazardous waste sites are through swallowing thalliumcontaminated soil
or dust, drinking contaminated water, and skin contact with contaminated soil
Http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/phs54.html