How can ricin poisoning occur?
Ricin is a white powder that can be dissolved in water. It may be used to: • Contaminate water or food • Form a powder or mist that can be breathed in • Form pellets or liquid that can be injected into the body Ricin poisoning can also occur following accidental ingestion of castor beans. Ricin poisoning is not contagious and does not spread from person to person. Accidental exposure to ricin is unlikely. If exposure does occur, it is likely that the ricin was deliberately produced and used to poison people. In 1978, Georgi Markov, a Bulgarian journalist living in London , was assassinated when a ricin pellet was injected into him. In February 2004, ricin was found in the Senate mail room on Capitol Hill in Washington , D.C. No one became ill from that exposure.
