Ricin has been in the news. What is it and should I be concerned?
Ricin is a deadly toxin found in the castor bean that is easy to make but difficult to use for inflicting mass casualties. During 2003, several people were arrested in London for manufacturing ricin, and in a separate incident a small amount of ricin was mailed to a man in South Carolina. No one was hurt in either incident. The CDC considers ricin a Category B agent, one that is of concern, but less likely to be used in a terrorist attack than category A agents. To find out more about ricin see the CDC fact sheet. To find out more about other diseases or agents that might be used as bio-weapons, read our bioterrorism agent fact sheets or visit the related CDC Web page.
