Feds To Return Ricin Test Results
Witness: Management Quarantining 3 Rooms
POSTED: 7:08 am PST February 29,
2008
UPDATED: 7:17 am PST February 29,
2008
LAS VEGAS -- Laboratory results are expected Friday after authorities said the toxin Ricin was found in a package at the Extended Stay America, a motel several blocks west of the Strip.The powder was found by a resident of the hotel around 3 p.m. Thursday. He turned it in to hotel authorities and that's when police was contacted. Castor beans -- which Ricin is derived from -- were also found in the room.Seven people, including three police officers, were taken to hospitals to be checked, but police said all appear to be in good condition.The FBI said the event does not appear to be terrorism related.Residents of the hotel said management seems to be quarantining three rooms where they think the powder was discovered.Ricin can be deadly if ingested, inhaled or injected into the body. Authorities said that two-tenths of a milligram is enough to kill a person. It has been used in some cancer research, but it has also been used in assassinations and turned up in the homes of suspected terrorists.Ricin is 6,000 times more toxic than Cyanide.
Previous Stories:
- February 28, 2008: Highly Poisonous Ricin May Have Been Found At Hotel
Copyright 2008 by KVVU.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.








