A mass spec standardization method has recently shed light on a cold case of thallium poisoning. Richard Ash (the University of Maryland's Department of Geology), analyzed hair strands from student Zhu Ling, who was poisoned by the heavy metal over 20 years ago. One hair showed sporadic but increased exposure over a few months; another that started growing later showed that large doses were ingested over a two-week period (1).
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References
- T Matsukawa et al., “Changes in thallium distribution in the scalp hair after an intoxication incident”, Forensic Sci Int, 291, 230-233 (2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.08.019
