Disturbing

[bobsticks]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080301/...zC3tws.JlvzwcF


I found this article and the accompanying "How Potent Is Ricin" deeply disturbing if only for the lack of urgency and slipshod "facts" related.

While it is, indeed, a derivative of the castor bean, ricin is extremely potent...and 500 micrograms ain't that much. When synthesized into an aerosol it could be used via a cropduster and wreak some serious havoc.

Originally used by ranchers to kill coyotes, the substance has become difficult to obtain due to strict controls rightfully emplaced by the government. It's production has been documented and attributed to various militia and survivalist groups.

Most galling is the "last time, most hi-profile was this 1978 assasination of a Bulgarian dissident" blather. Ricin is pure protein and metabolizes as such. An autopsy would reveal nothing unless abnormally high rates of protein clued an in-the-know doctor into running specific tests. Otherwise, "death by respiratory disease" or "heart failure" would be reported. Nobody can really say...this isn't like lead poisoning or strichnyne.

BTW, ricin can also be absorbed through the skin.

Somethin' ain't right in the desert...course we'll never hear about it.

[JohnMichael]

Interesting that someone was travelling with Ricin during these times of political campaigning.

[noddin0ff]

I agree, I can't help but think somethings fishy in the way this is being reported. But, just to offer a counter opinion to some of your 'facts'

Proteins are not normally readily absorbed through the skin. They're too big and your skin has many layers of dead cells that form a good barrier to these kind of things. If you have wounds or breaks in the skin, that's a different matter. Other internal epithelial surfaces like lungs and intestines, yes it gets absorbed.

Also, 'metabolizes' isn't really a good term to use here. If you ate ricin, it would be digested like any other protein in your diet. However, ricin acts from the inside of cells where 'digestion' doesn't really happen. Your cells are full of many proteins and proteins do break down and degrade. Some proteins are very stable, some not. Becuase it takes quite a while to die from ricin, I would infer that its very stable once absorbed. I suspect you can detect ricin very easily with the appropriate test, even in very trace amounts, but since its so uncommon only specialized labs would have the reagents to do so.

Just my opinion, I didn't research ricin.

I did look up the cdc info page though...

http://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/ricin/facts.asp

[bobsticks]

Check ya PM

[bobsticks]

Interesting that someone was travelling with Ricin during these times of political campaigning.

While Noddy and I are exchanging missives off the radar John has put the focus where it needs to be. Clearly, this is not a substance that is easy to come by and was assuredly not just overlooked when checking out.

[trollgirl]

Ricin Weapons
Depleted Uranium Weapons
Thermonuclear Weapons
Beamed Nukes
Scalar Weapons
Plasma Weapons
Thermobaric Weapons
Bio-Weapons
Chemical Weapons
Pole Shift
Climate Catastrophe
Asteroid Strike
etc, etc, etc...

What, me worry?

[bobsticks]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080416/.../ricin_mystery