Gudlyf's Journal: Ricin: Simply Nasty Stuff

With the story of ricin showing up in the Senate mailroom coming up, I went to take a look at what exactly "ricin" (I believe is pronounced "rice-in") is. In short: really nasty stuff that's insanely easy to make. Take a gander at these facts:

What it is: A protein toxin derived from the castor bean. It can be made from the mash that is left over after the beans are turned into castor oil.

What it does: Ricin blocks protein synthesis in the body, which can cause widespread organ damage as well as pulmonary, liver, renal and immunological failure.

How it is delivered: Ricin can be deadly if ingested, inhaled or injected into the body.

Symptoms: Fever, coughing and gastrointestinal problems are likely to be the first symptoms. If eaten, the toxin causes stomach irritation, gastroenteritis, bloody diarrhea and vomiting. Inhalation causes severe lung damage, including pulmonary edema. It can also cause seizures and central nervous system depression.

Symptoms usually appear within a few hours of exposure, but can be delayed for more than 12 hours.

Treatment: There is no antidote, but doctors can treat the symptoms.

Source: Scotland Yard

v. anthrax

[Frisky070802]

Is Ricin less likely to be inhaled than anthrax? Wondering about the likelihood of infection compared to 2001 attacks.

Re:v. anthrax

[Gudlyf]

In one article I read, they say ricin "is not nearly as deadly or problematic as antrhax," which makes me have a greater...er...'appreciation' of what antrhax can do. The biggest issue is that if you can get hold of castor beans, you can make ricin -- yikes! Althrax isn't so easy, thankfully.