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| Ricin - A Primer |
| 2004-02-03 |
| Ricin is one of the most powerful naturally occurring poisons and has no known vaccine or antidote. It is extracted from the bean-like seeds of the castor plant, Ricinus communis. One million tons of the beans are processed around the world each year to make castor oil, which is used as a laxative and in automotive brake fluid. The poison comes from the exterior of the bean, not the bean itself. Ricin kills cells by preventing them from making proteins. A small dose can be fatal if swallowed, injected or inhaled. Ingesting ricin causes fever, stomach ache, diarrhea, vomiting and eventually death. Inhalation often results in death from respiratory failure in 36 to 72 hours. Injected ricin causes death from multiple organ failure. Ricin is not easily absorbed through the skin, and experts say it is not an efficient way of killing large numbers of people. It’s estimated that 4 tons of ricin dispersed by aerosol would be needed to kill half of the people within an area of about 40 square miles, compared with only about 2 pounds of anthrax. Not a very good WMD. But it can be effective in targeting individuals. Bulgarian defector Georgi Markov was killed in London in 1978 when a pinhead-sized pellet laced with ricin was injected into his thigh - reportedly by a rigged umbrella. Killed by Bulgarian agents with the help of the KGB. United Nations weapons inspectors who left Iraq in 1998 listed ricin among the poisons they believed Saddam Hussein had produced. U.S. troops also found traces of the substance at suspected al-Qaida biological weapons sites in Afghanistan. Instructions for making ricin are available on the web. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #11 Shipman--LOL! We're gonna need an official Rantburg Storage Unit™ at this rate! |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-2-3 9:55:24 PM |
| #10 What about Clinton's? |
| Posted by: Matt 2004-2-3 7:49:33 PM |
| #9 I'm sorry Matt but it all goes on the permanent record. Yes Indeedy.... the big binder... good readin too... you'd be amazed! LOL Lucky's takes up 30 cubic feet.... |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-2-3 6:51:10 PM |
| #8 Ship, in case this goes on my permanent record, I was just funnin' Mr. Heinz and can only wish I had as much hair as he does. His "exaggerated" remark, however, was a profoundly stupid thing to say. |
| Posted by: Matt 2004-2-3 5:40:03 PM |
| #7 "You have a dark heart Matt." Yeah. Ain't it sweet? I would LOVE for the finger-pointers and second-guessers and back-seat-drivers to get up close and personal with the shit they blather on about - for a change. Kerry & Friends all deserve one of these special little love notes so they can be party to the things they now only pretend to know about. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-2-3 4:54:33 PM |
| #6 You have a dark heart Matt. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-2-3 4:25:13 PM |
| #5 It will be interesting to see if John "the terrorist threat has been exaggerated" Kerry opens his own mail tomorrow. Come on, Mr. Heinz, just a few unmarked envelopes on national TV. |
| Posted by: Matt 2004-2-3 4:17:52 PM |
| #4 Kay specifically said in his latest report Saddam had an active Ricin program up until the war. |
| Posted by: Anonymous2U 2004-2-3 2:32:53 PM |
| #3 Just like "dirty" bombs, it doesn't have to be very leathel to be an effective terror weapon. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-2-3 10:03:10 AM |
| #2 If I was running this operation, I'd have agents working in fast food joints near military bases. Mix ricin in the salt for the french fries and you could kill a hell of a lot of people. With the time lag between ingestion and death, you could finish your shift and make a clean getaway. |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-2-3 9:59:12 AM |
| #1 Ricinus communis -- I knew it was a Communist plot! Bastards! It's good that it's not terribly practical for use as WMD, but unfortunately castor beans aren't too hard to come by. I imagine it could still wreak havoc in an environment like a subway station, a la the Tokyo sarin attack? |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-2-3 9:53:35 AM |