1. Tori Frisbie and Kyle O’Neill

2.  It is a cytotoxin protein found in castor beans  It is produced as powders, mists, or pellets from processing castor beans  Castor bean plants are indigenous to Africa and India

3.  The outer coat of castor beans are removed  Then the beans are cooked  They are mashed and filtered  Solvents are added to extract the ricin  Then it can be put into may different forms (powder, pills, ect)

4.  Ricin can be injected, inhaled, or swallowed  Injected/inhaled: 22µg/kg (0.000022g/kg)  Oral exposure: 20-30mg/kg (0.02-0.03g/kg)  A speck or pure ricin the size of a grain of salt is enough to kill a human

5.  It blocks messaging from RNA  Inhibits protein synthesis  Essential amino acids are not produced by the body  Only a small amount is needed to have effects on humans

6.  No immediate symptoms  Symptoms in a few hours: nausea, diarrhea, tachycardia (100+ heart beats a minute), hypotension (low blood pressure), tightness in the chest, and seizures  Organ failure is the cause of death (liver, kidney, lungs, spleen, stomach, ect.)  Usually victims die within 2 to 5 days  Survivors have tissue damage

9.  There is currently no vaccine or antidote  Scientists are working on an antidote  Not even a widely available test to reliably confirm the presence of ricin

10.  Scientists are researching it as a possible cure for cancer  Castor beans are used to make castor oil, used as a purgative and lubricant to manufacture oil-based products (brake and hydraulic fluid)  Castor oil is also supposedly used to help induce labor

11.  Ricin was the toxin found in the letters sent to President Obama and Mississippi Senator Rodger Wicker in April 2013  Incidents with ricin-laced letters in 2003 and 2004 as well

12.  http://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/emerg ency/chemical_terrorism/ricin.htm http://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/emerg ency/chemical_terrorism/ricin.htm  http://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/ricin/facts.asp http://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/ricin/facts.asp  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ricin/AN0221 1/ http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ricin/AN0221 1/  http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013- 04/everything-you-need-know-about-ricin- poison-sent-us-senator http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013- 04/everything-you-need-know-about-ricin- poison-sent-us-senator  http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents /ricin.html http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents /ricin.html