Suspicious Package (Stuffed Animal?) Outside Senate Buildings Causes Evacuation

Tuesday, February 3, 2004 | Kristinn

[prairiebreeze]

There were stories about bio's and explosives being hidden in stuffed animal toys going around some months back.

Prairie

[JustPiper]

Also on the news a facility with suspicious white powder in Connecticut

[JustPiper]

Bump Dog posted this on daily thread!

[American_Centurion]

But it only takes a very tiny amount to kill you, it's something like twice as toxic as cobra venom.

[JustPiper]

Imagine all the polling places t hat could see "suspicious" envelopes today? And you are correct, they could hit with the suspicious materials diverting police attention! It is leaving us very vulnerable!

[Peach]

Yes.

Also, that "countdown clock" mentioned February 2nd.

The ricin was discovered yesterday and it's entirely possible this powder was in an envelope delivered to the post office yesterday late and didn't get processed until today. (That's a separate thread).

Although this stuff animal doesn't square with that timeframe.

[Peach]

And the response to the Rats needs to be that we can't know the exact time that nation states sells stuff to terrorists...

[Peach]

I'd actually forgotten about Super Tuesday.

[American_Centurion]

From Info source click here

Ricin is a potent protein toxin derived from the beans of the castor plant (Ricinus communis). Castor beans are ubiquitous worldwide, and the toxin is fairly easily produced. Ricin is therefore a potentially widely available toxin. When inhaled as a small particle aerosol, this toxin may produce pathologic changes within 8 hours and severe respiratory symptoms followed by acute hypoxic respiratory failure in 36-72 hours. When ingested, ricin causes severe gastrointestinal symptoms followed by vascular collapse and death. This toxin may also cause disseminated intravascular coagulation, microcirculatory failure and multiple organ failure if given intravenously in laboratory animals.

TOXIN CHARACTERISTICS

Ricin is actually made up of two hemagglutinins and two toxins. The toxins, RCL III and RCL IV, are dimers of about 66,000 daltons molecular weight. The toxins are made up of two polypeptide chains, an A chain and a B chain, which are joined by a disulfide bond. Ricin can be produced relatively easily and inexpensively in large quantities in a fairly low technology setting. It is of marginal toxicity in terms of its LED50 in comparison to toxins such as botulinum and SEB (incapacitating dose), so an enemy would have to produce it in larger quantities to cover a significant area on the battlefield. This might limit large-scale use of ricin by an adversary. Ricin can be prepared in liquid or crystalline form, or it can be lyophilized to make it a dry powder. It could be disseminated by an enemy as an aerosol, or it could be used as a sabotage, assassination, or terrorist weapon.

MECHANISM OF TOXICITY

Ricin is very toxic to cells. It acts by inhibiting protein synthesis. The B chain binds to cell surface receptors and the toxin-receptor complex is taken into the cell; the A chain has endonuclease activity and extremely low concentrations will inhibit protein synthesis. In rodents, the histopathology of aerosol exposure is characterized by necrotizing airway lesions causing tracheitis, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, and interstitial pneumonia with perivascular and alveolar edema. There is a latent period of 8 hours post-inhalation exposure before histologic lesions are observed in animal models. In rodents, ricin is more toxic by the aerosol route than by other routes of exposure.

There is little toxicity data in humans. The exact cause of morbidity and mortality would be dependent upon the route of exposure. Aerosol exposure in man would be expected to cause acute lung injury, pulmonary edema secondary to increased capillary permeability, and eventual acute hypoxic respiratory failure.

[Peach]

And I forgot to mention about your excellent point that on 911, NYC was holding a primary!

[kristinn]

Situation clear. No word on whether it was a false alarm or not. Streets reopenned.

[Frank_Discussion]

"There is a latent period of 8 hours post-inhalation exposure before histologic lesions are observed in animal models."

Crap! How is Senator Frist today?

[American_Centurion]

Probably ok, but I worry for some of his staff.

[kristinn]

Local channel 5 reports the Fort Detrick tests on the powder found yesterday were positive for ricin.

[Quilla]

Thanks. Here are a few scary tidbits from the CDC:

It would take a deliberate act to make ricin and use it to poison people. Accidental exposure to ricin is highly unlikely.

People can breathe in ricin mist or powder and be poisoned.

Ricin can also get into water or food and then be swallowed.

Pellets of ricin, or ricin dissolved in a liquid, can be injected into people’s bodies.

Depending on the route of exposure (such as injection), as little as 500 micrograms of ricin could be enough to kill an adult. A 500-microgram dose of ricin would be about the size of the head of a pin. A much greater amount would be needed to kill people if the ricin were inhaled (breathed in) or swallowed.

[hellinahandcart]

Secure from Code Elmo.

[American_Centurion]

Anyone willing to take odds on whether or not the ricin from yesterday has an extremely fine silica coating on it?

[TomGuy]

FoxNews is reporting a powdery substance was found in the Senate building. A similar substance was also found in Connecticut PO--same PO where anthrax was found a couple years ago.

[Remember the elderly lady who was somewhat isolated on a farm and died of anthrax? Has the anthrax poisoner changed to ricin and does the perp have some connection to CT?]

[Frank_Discussion]

You're probably right. This is a big deal, and I am more concerned about this than I was about any attack during the Super Bowl. The pigs seemed to have pulled off an attack again, and I'm wondering where else it's going to impact.

[Frank_Discussion]

Not me, but why do you ask?