Mass spectrometry sheds new light on thallium poisoning cold case

In 1994, Chinese university student Zhu Ling began experiencing stomach pain, hair loss and partial paralysis. By the time doctors diagnosed Ling with thallium poisoning about four months later, she was in a coma. Ling survived, but she suffered permanent neurological damage. A police investigation determined that Ling was intentionally poisoned, but the case remains unsolved.