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Ricin: A Summary And Analysis

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An agent that I did a lot of reading on and heavily considered as my agent of choice for my final essay was the biotoxin ricin that could be weaponized for a biological attack. I have known the toxic property of the castor bean plant since I was a child growing up here in Florida. I pass by dozens of these plants growing wild along the road every day. It was through the reading in this class that I came to understand just how toxic the seeds of this plant are. Ricin is a poison found naturally in castor beans and is part of the waste “mash” produced when castor oil is made (CDC 2013, n.p.). Exposure to ricin could be by way of inhalation, ingested in food or water or injected. This agent is not contagious and can not be transmitted person to person, however if an individual has …show more content…

It is a stable agent under normal conditions, but is rendered harmless after exposure to temperatures above 176 degrees Fahrenheit. The poison interacts with the human body by entering into the cells and preventing the cells from producing the protein they need to survive. The cells die as a result, the victim(s) will exhibit respiratory distress if the ricin has been inhaled. The lungs fill with fluid and respiratory failure can result in death. Those who have ingested ricin will exhibit vomiting, diarrhea and seizures. Within a few days, the victim's liver, spleen and kidneys cease function and death may result. Those who are injected with ricin will likely suffer the same gruesome death as Georgi Markov, a defected Bulgarian dissident writer living in London, who died in 1978 after he was assassinated by the

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