The most dangerous elements on the periodic table - Shannon Odell

00:04:38
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vhu433hkys

Résumé

TLDRIn 1952-1953, Sydney detectives investigated multiple murder cases connected by thallium poisoning. Thallium is toxic due to its similarity to potassium, and its presence in rat poison led to its use in various poisoning cases. Other dangerous elements discussed include lead, which disrupts communication in the brain, mercury, which alters protein structures, and reactive alkali metals that can explode upon contact with water or air. Radioactive elements like polonium can emit dangerous alpha particles, capable of causing severe harm. Following the investigations, the Australian Parliament banned thallium's sale in 1953, highlighting the urgent need to address the risks posed by toxic substances.

A retenir

  • 🔍 Multiple murder cases in Sydney were linked by thallium poisoning.
  • ⚛️ Thallium's similarity to potassium allows it to disrupt bodily functions.
  • 🚫 Thallium was commonly used in rat poison in the 1950s.
  • 🧪 Other toxic elements include lead, mercury, and reactive alkali metals.
  • ⚠️ Radioactive elements can silently emit dangerous energy.
  • 💣 Polonium is a highly lethal radioactive element.
  • 🏛️ In 1953, Australia banned thallium sales to prevent poisoning.
  • 🥴 Lead generates harmful reactive oxygen species in the body.
  • 🛑 Alkali metals can explode when reacting with water or air.
  • 👩‍🔬 Marie Curie discovered polonium, leading to serious health risks.

Chronologie

  • 00:00:00 - 00:04:38

    From 1952 to 1953, Sydney detectives were immersed in numerous murder and attempted murder investigations linked to thallium poisoning, which exploits its similarity to potassium, a vital element in human health. Thallium's toxicity allows it to replace potassium in the body, leading to a slow and painful demise. Despite understanding the dangers of thallium, the question arises about how perpetrators accessed it. Beyond thallium, the periodic table holds several dangerous elements, each contributing to risks in unique ways—like lead causing neurological disruption and mercury resulting in serious health conditions from protein interactions. Alkali metals are exceptionally reactive, posing risks due to explosive reactions when exposed to air or water, while radioactive elements silently emit energy, presenting hidden dangers, including alpha particles that can devastate cellular structure. The historical context reveals thallium's accessibility in 1950s Sydney due to its use in rat poisons, ultimately leading to its ban in Australia in 1953 after the connection was made by authorities.

Carte mentale

Vidéo Q&R

  • What is thallium poisoning?

    Thallium poisoning occurs when thallium, a toxic element similar to potassium, enters the body, disrupting essential biological functions.

  • Why are toxic elements like lead and mercury dangerous?

    Lead disrupts neuronal communication and generates harmful molecules, while mercury alters protein structures, rendering them ineffective.

  • What are alkali metals and their risks?

    Alkali metals are highly reactive elements that can violently react with air and water, posing explosion risks.

  • What are radioactive elements?

    Radioactive elements emit energy due to their unstable nuclear composition and can be highly dangerous, capable of causing severe harm.

  • What is polonium and its dangers?

    Polonium is a radioactive alpha emitter that, even in tiny amounts, can be extremely lethal.

  • How was thallium used in Australia during the 1950s?

    Thallium was used in rat poison, which became easily accessible, leading to its involvement in several poisoning cases.

  • What action was taken to address thallium poisoning in Australia?

    In 1953, the Australian Parliament banned the sale of thallium in response to its role in murder cases.

  • Who first discovered polonium?

    Polonium was discovered by Marie Curie.

  • What is the significance of the year 1953 regarding thallium?

    1953 marks the year when the Australian Parliament banned thallium's sale due to its use in criminal poisoning cases.

  • What is the connection between thallium and potassium?

    Thallium's structural similarity to potassium allows it to disrupt essential bodily functions when ingested.

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Sous-titres
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Défilement automatique:
  • 00:00:07
    From 1952 to 1953, Sydney detectives investigated
  • 00:00:12
    a staggering number of murder and attempted murder cases
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    that were unrelated yet shared a common element:
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    thallium poisoning.
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    The secret to thallium toxicity lies in its structural similarity to potassium—
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    an element that helps regulate the body's fluids,
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    initiate muscle contraction, and transmit nerve signals.
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    If even a small amount of thallium sneaks its way into the body—
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    for example, through a tainted tea or a slice of cake—
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    it easily supplants potassium,
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    causing the body to slowly and painfully shut down.
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    At the time, thallium's risks were well known,
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    so how were the perpetrators able to get their hands on such a lethal element?
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    And thallium isn't the only dangerous element on the periodic table.
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    Within this tabular array loom several potential threats,
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    each with their own unique method of imposing destruction.
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    Some elements, like thallium, are dangerous due to their toxicity.
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    Once they enter the body,
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    they wreak havoc on the biological systems that keep us alive.
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    Lead, for example, switches places with the body's essential metals like calcium,
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    in turn disrupting neuronal communication in the brain.
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    Traveling through the bloodstream, it also generates toxic levels of molecules
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    known as reactive oxygen species, which over time can stress and kill cells.
  • 00:01:28
    Mercury's toxicity was made famous in the 19th century
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    due to its widespread use in felt hat production.
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    Prolonged exposure made hat makers ill
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    with what was later known as "Mad Hatter" disease,
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    with symptoms that included personality changes,
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    emotional disturbances, and tremors.
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    Mercury is quick to react with certain parts of proteins
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    found throughout the body.
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    And upon binding, mercury twists the proteins into different shapes,
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    rendering them useless.
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    Some elements are dangerous because of how they respond, react, or even explode
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    in the outside environment.
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    Top reactive elements reside in the first column of the periodic table
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    and are known as alkali metals.
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    They're rarely found in their pure elemental form,
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    as alkalis readily donate the single electron in their outer shell
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    to whatever's around to form more stable ionic compounds.
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    This can lead to violent results—
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    pure cesium, for example, bursts into flames when exposed to air,
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    and explodes when dropped in water.
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    Francium is likely the most reactive alkali
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    based on its position in the periodic table,
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    but we don't know for sure.
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    With a half-life of 22 minutes at most,
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    it's thought that less than an ounce exists on Earth at any one time.
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    But perhaps the most threatening elements are those that silently emit.
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    Known as radioactive elements,
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    the substances readily release energy, or decay,
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    due to their highly unstable nuclear composition.
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    This reactive nature is what's harnessed to create
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    some of the world's most dangerous nuclear weapons.
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    Radioactive elements typically emit energy in the form of alpha particles,
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    beta particles, neutrons, or electromagnetic radiation.
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    While all dangerous,
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    alpha particles, which consist of two neutrons and protons
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    bound tightly together,
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    can be particularly hazardous.
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    Heavy and positively charged,
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    if alpha particles find their way into the body,
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    they can easily bombard and kill any cell in their path.
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    In fact, it's theorized that a single gram of one alpha emitter, polonium,
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    could kill upwards of 50 million people.
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    Polonium was first discovered by Marie Curie,
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    and tragically her daughter, researcher Irene Joliot-Curie,
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    may have been one of its first victims after she was exposed in a lab accident.
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    Polonium is rare in nature with few commercial uses,
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    so only a small amount is synthesized each year.
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    Thallium, on the other hand, wasn't so difficult to find
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    in the early 1950s in Austalia.
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    At the time, Sydney was plagued with chronic rat infestations.
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    And thallium was the main ingredient in the popular and cheap
  • 00:04:06
    rat poison called Thall-Rat.
  • 00:04:09
    Thankfully, detectives were able to connect the dots,
  • 00:04:12
    and in 1953 Australian Parliament effectively banned all sale of thallium.
Tags
  • thallium
  • poisoning
  • murder
  • toxic elements
  • lead
  • mercury
  • alkali metals
  • radioactive elements
  • polonium
  • investigation