Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Ricin

What Is Ricin?

• Ricin is a poison that can be made from the waste left over from processing
  castor beans.

   

• It can be in the form of a powder, a mist, or a pellet, or it can be
  dissolved in water or weak acid.
   
• It is a stable substance. For example, it is not affected much by extreme
  conditions such as very hot or very cold temperatures.

Where Is Ricin Found, and How Is It Used?

• Castor beans are
  processed throughout the world to make castor oil. Ricin is part of
  the waste “mash” produced when castor oil is made. Amateurs can make
  ricin from castor beans.
   
• Ricin has some
  potential medical uses, such as bone marrow transplants and cancer treatment
  (to kill cancer cells).

How Can People Be Exposed to Ricin?

• It would take a
  deliberate act to make ricin and use it to poison people. Accidental
  exposure to ricin is highly unlikely.
   
• People can breathe
  in ricin mist or powder and be poisoned.
   
• Ricin can also
  get into water or food and then be swallowed.
   
• Pellets of ricin,
  or ricin dissolved in a liquid, can be injected into people’s bodies.
   
• Depending on the
  route of exposure (such as injection), as little as 500 micrograms of
  ricin could be enough to kill an adult. A 500-microgram dose of ricin
  would be about the size of the head of a pin. A much greater amount
  would be needed to kill people if the ricin were inhaled (breathed in)
  or swallowed.
   
• Ricin poisoning
  is not contagious. It cannot be spread from person to person through
  casual contact.

   

• In 1978, Georgi
  Markov, a Bulgarian writer and journalist who was living in London,
  died after he was attacked by a man with an umbrella. The umbrella had
  been rigged to inject a poison ricin pellet under Markov’s skin.
   
• Some reports have
  indicated that ricin may have been used in the Iran-Iraq war during
  the 1980s and that quantities of ricin were found in Al Qaeda caves
  in Afghanistan.

How Does Ricin Work?

 

• Ricin works by
  getting inside the cells of a person’s body and preventing the cells
  from making the proteins they need. Without the proteins, cells die,
  and eventually the whole body can shut down and die.
   
• Specific effects
  of ricin poisoning depend on whether ricin was inhaled, swallowed, or
  injected.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Ricin Exposure?
 

• Inhalation:
  Within a few hours of inhaling significant amounts of ricin, the likely
  symptoms would be coughing, tightness in the chest, difficulty breathing,
  nausea, and aching muscles. Within the next few hours, the body’s airways
  (such as lungs) would become severely inflamed (swollen and hot), excess
  fluid would build up in the lungs, breathing would become even more
  difficult, and the skin might turn blue. Excess fluid in the lungs would
  be diagnosed by x-ray or by listening to the chest with a stethoscope.

   

• Ingestion:
  If someone swallows a significant amount of ricin, he or she would have
  internal bleeding of the stomach and intestines that would lead to vomiting
  and bloody diarrhea. Eventually, the person’s liver, spleen, and kidneys
  might stop working, and the person could die.

   

• Injection:
  Injection of a lethal amount of ricin at first would cause the muscles
  and lymph nodes near the injection site to die. Eventually, the liver,
  kidneys, and spleen would stop working, and the person would have massive
  bleeding from the stomach and intestines. The person would die from
  multiple organ failure.

   

• Death from ricin
  poisoning could take place within 36 to 48 hours of exposure, whether
  by injection, ingestion, or inhalation. If the person lives longer than
  5 days without complications, he or she will probably not die.

How Is Ricin Poisoning Treated?

• No antidote exists
  for ricin. Ricin poisoning is treated by giving the victim supportive
  medical care to minimize the effects of the poisoning. The types of
  supportive medical care would depend on several factors, such as the
  route by which the victim was poisoned (that is, by inhalation, ingestion,
  or injection). Care could include such measures as helping the victim
  breathe and giving him or her intravenous fluids and medications to
  treat swelling.

How Do We Know for Sure Whether People Have Been Exposed to Ricin?

• If we suspect that
  people have inhaled ricin, a possible clue would be that a large number
  of people who had been close to each other suddenly developed fever,
  cough, and excess fluid in their lungs. These symptoms could be followed
  by severe breathing problems and possibly death.
   
• No widely available,
  reliable test exists to confirm that a person has been exposed to ricin.

What Can People Do If They Think They May Have Been Exposed to
Ricin?

Unintentional
ricin poisoning is highly unlikely. CDC has no reports of intentional
ricin poisoning. If people think they might have been exposed to ricin,
however, they should contact the regional poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.

How Can People Get More Information About Ricin?

They
can contact one of the following:

• Regional poison
  control center (1-800-222-1222)
   
• Centers for Disease
  Control and Prevention Public Response Hotline (CDC)
  • English (888)
    246-2675
  • Español (888)
    246-2857
  • TTY (866) 874-2646
    
     
• Agency for Toxic
  Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) (1-888-422-8737)