Sometimes I miss the good old days.
But sometimes I don’t – like the days when you were able to walk into your neighbourhood hardware store and buy over-the-counter the best poison known to man.
You see, the fact is that there are measures of excellence for everything. I am reminded of the classic quote from “Yes Minister” were Sir Humphrey, trying to talk Hacker into buying Trident missiles, says “In the world of the nuclear missile it is the Saville Row suit, the Rolls Royce Corniche, the Château Lafitte 1945. It is the nuclear missile Harrods would sell you.”
And the Rolls-Royce Corniche of poisons is thallium. In the 1950s it was available over-the-counter as a rat poison “Thall-Rat.” It was a clear liquid that was odourless, tasteless, and utterly deadly. Aside from the fact that it is odourless and tasteless, thallium sits at the pinnacle of poisons purely because its effect on the human body is so widespread and non-specific – almost no part of your body escapes.
Look at this excerpt from an MSDS:
Special Remarks on other Toxic Effects on Humans:
Acute Potential Health Effects: Skin: It may cause skin irritation. It may be absorbed by the skin and cause systemic effects similar to that of ingestion. Eyes: It may cause severe eye irritation. It may cause blurred vision, tearing, and conjunctivitis,development of cataracts. Inhalation: Inhalation of dust may cause effects similar to those described for ingestion. This material has a low vapor pressure, so exposure to vapor is unlikely. Ingestion: May be fatal if swallowed. It may cause gastroenteritis with nausea, vomiting, hypermotility, diarrhea, discharge from the mouth and nostrils, ulceration of the tongue .May cause ulceration and hemorrhaging of the digestive tract, particularly of the stomach. May affect behavior/central nervous systemCNS)/nervous system (CNS depression, headache, personality disorder, irritabililty, confusion, memory loss, slurred speech, weakness, insomnia, intellectual impair ment, ataxia, tremors, convulsions, hyptonia, spastic paraparesis, motor
and sensory neuroathy), respiration (apnea, adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), chest pain). It may also cause skin eruptionsdisorders, impaired vision, optic neuritis, nystagmus, phthalamoplegia , hypertension, rapid heart rate, dysrhythmia, bluish line on gums (3 to 4 weeks )after ingestion, parotitis, liver damage(hepatitis, enlargement, fatty degeneration, elevated liver enzymes), kidney damage(congestion of the kidneys, green discoloration of urine,nephritis, proteinuria, oliguria,
albuminuria, hematuria, decreased creatine clearance, increased BUN, cylindruria, metabolic acidosis, hypokalemia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, hair discoloration, Mee’s line (transverse lines on finger and toe nails). Chronic Potential Health Effects: Ingestion: In chronic Thallium poisoning, the most striking feature is loss of hair. It may also cause anorexia (weight loss, loss of appetite). It may also affect the brain (degenerative changes), heart, liver (liver damage), kidneys (kidney damage),
behavior/central nervous system, nervous system with symptoms similar to that of acute ingestion. Repeated or prolonged ingestion may also cause other symptoms similar to that of acute ingestion. Eyes: Repeated or prolonged eye contact may cause development of cataracts, corneal damage, glaucoma.
And all was needed to have this effect was about 100 mg. When available in powdered form it was known as “inheritance powder”.
It is quite simply the most toxic naturally occurring substance in existence – even more so than arsenic, lead or cadmium.
On Thursday night, ABC TV aired a documentary called “A Recipe for Murder” about the use of thallium to commit a number of murders in New South Wales back in the 1950s. It was that simple – you walk into a hardware store, buy a bottle of the rat poison, bring it home, add it to a drink you are giving to someone you want to bump off, and Bob’s your uncle.
No one knows exactly how many people were killed in this this period, and incredibly, it wasn’t banned until 1954.
These days it would be classified as an S7 poison – the highest category – and only available with a special licence.
As I say, sometimes I don’t miss the good old days.