According to many sources, including the Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, KGAN, and FOXNews, a package found in a motel room in Las Vegas contained the deadly poison ricin. Seven people were taken to the hospital according to authorities since all preliminary tests indicated that the package found had the deadly poison ricin.
According to AP, Las Vegas Police was called to the Extended Stay America Motel: Upon Arrival police found a package that according to the motel manager it contained a chemical or a possible controlled substance. Preliminary test run by the Center for Diseases Control (CDC) revealed the dangerous chemical. More confirmatory tests are needed to be absolutely sure about the presence of the deadly substance.
After the preliminary results police cordoned the motel and Homeland Security officials, FBI, Las Vegas personnel, Health District authorities, a hazardous materials team, and the National Guard were also brought in, according to the sources.
The authorities cautioned that this does not look as a probable terrorist attack. "This is not a terror incident at this point," Police Captain Lombardo said.
Ricin is a protein that can be found and extracted from castor beans (Ricinus communis). According to the CDC, the lethal dose for an average person is 0.2 milligrams (0.0002 grams). Experts report that ricin is 12000 times more poisonous than rattlesnake venom. On the other hand, ricin is several times less toxic than botulinum toxin.
During the First World War the United States researched ricin as a potential chemical/biological warfare agent. Ricin was used in 1978 to kill defected Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov in a London Street. There is no specific antidote for ricin
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control Web site) ricin causes vomiting and diarrhea. Hallucinations, seizures, blood in the urine are also present in infected patients.
Source:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/631191/deadly_poison_ricin_found_in_las_vegas.html
Deadly Poison Ricin Found in Las Vegas; 7 People Hospitalized
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