Thallium: Overview
Gamma detectors, infrared lenses and heart scans
What this tab covers What the commodity is used for, why, in what volumes and with what alternatives, and its chain from mine or field to end user. Also the latest price moves, top recent news, three things to know, and buttons into each tab.Key uses
| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma radiation detection (thallium-doped sodium iodide and other scintillator crystals) | n/a | n/a basis | A trace of thallium in sodium iodide crystals makes them glow brightly when hit by gamma rays, which is the basis of many radiation detectors in security screening, medical imaging and geophysical logging. USGS says thallium materials remain superior and more cost effective for these specialised uses. USGS MCS 2026, Thallium | Cesium iodide and lanthanum bromide scintillators Germanium and cadmium zinc telluride semiconductor detectors |
| Infrared optics: lenses, prisms and windows | n/a | n/a basis | Thallium halide crystals transmit a wide band of infrared light and are used in lenses, prisms and windows for infrared detection and spectroscopy. Thallium-arsenic-selenium crystal filters are used in acousto-optical measuring devices. Alternatives exist but thallium is often better or cheaper for these niche optics (USGS). USGS MCS 2026, Thallium | Germanium, zinc selenide and chalcogenide glass optics |
| Thallium-201 for cardiac stress imaging | n/a | n/a basis | Thallium-201 behaves like potassium in the body and is taken up by healthy heart muscle, so it shows areas of poor blood flow during stress tests. Demand has declined because technetium-99m agents give better images and are more available, though thallium is still used in some tests (USGS). USGS MCS 2026, Thallium | Technetium-99m sestamibi and tetrofosmin Rubidium-82 PET |
| High-temperature superconductors and photoelectric cells | n/a | n/a basis | Thallium-barium-calcium-copper oxides were among the highest-temperature superconductors found, and thallium compounds are used in photoelectric cells. Research continues into new thallium compounds for optoelectronics. Volumes are research scale. USGS MCS 2026, Thallium | Yttrium-barium-copper oxide and bismuth-based superconductors Silicon and other photodetectors |
| Glass, alloys and dense liquids (high-refractive glass, mercury-thallium thermometers, Clerici solution) | n/a | n/a basis | Thallium raises the refractive index and density of glass and lowers melting points. Mercury-thallium alloy stays liquid below the freezing point of mercury, for low-temperature thermometers and switches. Clerici solution, a thallium salt liquid, separates minerals by density, but its toxicity has driven a shift to tungsten-based liquids. USGS MCS 2026, Thallium | Lead and lanthanum glasses Alcohol or electronic thermometers Sodium polytungstate and other tungsten heavy liquids |
From mine to user
- 1. Mining of zinc, lead and copper sulphide ores Thallium occurs in trace amounts in sulphide ores; crustal abundance is about 0.7 ppm (USGS).
- 2. Roasting and smelting Thallium volatilises and collects in flue dust from roasting copper, lead and zinc ores.
- 3. Dust leaching and purification Flue dust is leached, and thallium is precipitated and purified, usually as a sulphate or chloride.
- 4. Metal and compounds Thallium is reduced to metal (99.99% granules averaged about $9,300/kg in 100-g lots in 2025) or made into salts.
- 5. Crystal, optics and isotope makers Scintillator and IR-optics growers use metal and salts; cyclotron operators make thallium-201 from enriched thallium targets.
- 6. End users Radiation-detector, optics and medical-imaging users, under strict toxicity controls.
Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25
No public daily or monthly benchmark price for this commodity in the datasets used.
Three things to know
- World thallium output was only about 10,000 kg in 2023, and most producers withhold their data.
- The US EPA limit for thallium in drinking water is 2 parts per billion.
- The United States has produced no thallium since 1981; Mexico supplied 90% of imports in 2021-24.
Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days
No recent articles from the listed publishers were found in the snapshot.