When did Caroline Grills die?
19 octombrie 1960
Caroline Grills/Data morții
How many people did Caroline Grills kill?
4
| Caroline Grills | |
|---|---|
| Victims | 4 (3 attempted murders) |
| Span of crimes | 1947–1953 |
| Country | Australia |
| State(s) | New South Wales |
Why did Caroline Grills kill?
The undercurrents of envy, anger or revenge that pushed her to kill so many of her family can only be guessed at. She was a disquieting case, a matronly figure who did what all favourite aunts were meant to do—serve tea and cakes.
What poison did Caroline grills use?
thallium
Caroline Grills was a most unlikely multiple murderer, being a 63-year-old mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was charged with having murdered, by poison, four distant relatives, using what was then the virtually untraceable thallium.
Why is thallium toxic?
Thallium is a soft, malleable gray metal that was previously widely used in rat poisons and insecticides. Thallium itself and compounds containing the element are highly toxic. It is particularly dangerous because compounds containing thallium are colorless, odorless, and tasteless.
What foods contain thallium?
thallium levels (watercress, radish, turnip and green cabbage) were all Brassicaceous plants, followed by the Chenopods beet and spinach. At a thallium concentration of 0.7 mg/kg in the soil only green bean, tomato, onion, pea and lettuce would be safe for human consumption.
Does the human body use thallium?
These applications can cause human exposure to thallium substances. The human body absorbs thallium very effectively, especially through the skin, the breathing organs and the digestive tract. Thallium poisoning is mainly caused by accidental uptake of rat poison, which contains large amounts of thallium sulphate.
Where is thallium most commonly found?
Thallium is found in several ores. One of these is pyrites, which is used to produce sulfuric acid. Some thallium is obtained from pyrites, but it is mainly obtained as a by-product of copper, zinc and lead refining. Thallium is also present in manganese nodules found on the ocean floor.
Can thallium be found in food?
Increased levels of thallium are found in vegetables, fruit and farm animals. Thallium is toxic even at very low concentrations and tends to accumulate in the environment once it enters the food chain. Thallium and thallium-based compounds exhibit higher water solubility compared to other heavy metals.
When was thallium banned?
Thallium was also widely used as a rodenticide. Its use as a household rodenticide was banned in the United States in 1965 after multiple unintentional poisonings. Commercial use was banned a decade later.