Ricin detected at Las Vegas motel

Terrorist alarm raised as ricin detected at Las Vegas motel amidst several toxic poisoning injuries

The National Terror Alert Response Center confirmed terrorist alarms sounded as the Associated Press reported Friday, Feb. 29, on toxic ricin being found at a Las Vegas motel.

Preliminary tests of substances indicate a suspect package found at the Extended Stay America Motel Thursday did contain the toxin ricin.

Seven people, three motel employees, three police officers and another person, were taken to hospitals. All were reported in good condition.

FBI spokesman Richard Kolko in Washington says the event does not appear to be terrorism related. He says the FBI is assisting local police in the investigation.

Reports say a man who brought the substance to the motel manager told police he found it in a suite and it did not belong to him. Two preliminary tests indicate it contained ricin.

Results from further tests by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a second local lab are expected Friday.

Ricin can be extremely lethal. As little as 500 micrograms, or about the size of the head of a pin, can kill a human, according to the CDC.

Ricin facts include: it is a poison that can be made from the waste left over from processing
castor beans, and can take the form of powder, a mist, pellets, or dissolved in water or weak acid.

It would take a deliberate act to make ricin poisonous, so accidental exposure is highly unlikely. Ricin poisoning is not contagious – it cannot be spread through casual contact.

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.

Ricin works by getting inside the cells of a person’s body and preventing the cells from making the proteins they need - cells die, and eventually the whole body can shut down and die.

Suspected exposure to ricin can best be reported to the regional poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. [Source: the National Terror Alert Response Center]

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