The deadly toxin Ricin was discovered yesterday in a Las Vegas hotel room. The poison, made from castor beans, which were also found in the room, is one of the most toxic substances known.
The toxin, when injected, blocks the body’s ability to synthesize protein, and “if you can’t synthesize protein, you’re dead,” according to toxic plants expert, Stata Norton. As an added bonus, there is no antidote, “Once you’ve got it in the cell, we don’t know how to get it out,” Norton says.
Authorities say the substance and the castor beans were found when a man was clearing out a suite at the Extended Stay America Motel. Seven people have been hospitalized. One man, found unconscious, is in critical condition. Three hotel employees and three police officers have also been hospitalized as a precaution, although none of them appear to have any symptoms of poisoning.
A spokesman for the F.B.I. says the incident does not appear to be terror related, although authorities acknowledge there is no “legal or proper reason for any ordinary person to possess ricin.”
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