Posted on 02/25/2006 4:48:19 AM PST by genefromjersey
Edited on 02/25/2006 5:53:54 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
Updated story from Yahoo News & AP:
Ricin Discovered in Texas Dormitory
AUSTIN - A University of Texas student found a substance that has tested positive for ricin, a potentially deadly poison, in a roll of quarters she was using to do laundry in her dormitory, officials said.
The student and her roommate were being treated for potential exposure to the poison, although neither has exhibited symptoms, said Dr. Theresa Spalding of UT Student Health Services.
The student told university police she found the chunky powder Thursday as she was doing her laundry at the Moore-Hill dormitory, Spalding said. Preliminary tests for ricin came back positive Friday.
"We were very concerned as soon as we heard about the positive testing late this evening," Spalding said. She said the quarters had been in the students' dorm room for several months.
Ricin is extracted from castor beans and can be added to food or water, injected or sprayed as an aerosol. It can be in the form of a powder, mist, pellet, or it can be dissolved in water or weak acid.
Symptoms can include anything from difficulty breathing, fever, cough, nausea and sweating to severe vomiting and dehydration.
The dorm was sanitized and inspected, and students were cleared to return, the university said.
Ricin Discovered in Texas Dormitory
____
AUSTIN - A substance discovered by a student in a University of Texas dormitory has tested positive for ricin, a potentially deadly poison, officials said.
The chunky powder was found at the Moore-Hill dormitory Thursday and reported to university police, officials said. Tests for ricin came back positive Friday. Officials don't know where it came from, said campus police spokeswoman Rhonda Weldon.
Any news about this today?
I feel newsless on weekends, as FOXnews takes Sat. and Sun. off.
I heard on the morning news that the powder was "brownish-white" instead of just "white" like described before, so now I'm guessing it *didn't* look like detergent.
They also finally reported about the other two test results--the "non-ricin" and the "inconclusive."
GMTAbout Ricin, lol!
More follow-up:
http://www.khou.com/news/state/stories/khou060226_ac_utricin.6648914b.html
Official: Powder found in UT dorm may not be ricin
01:08 PM CST on Sunday, February 26, 2006
By LAURA HEINAUER Cox News Service
AUSTIN – A whitish-brown powder found at the Moore-Hill dormitory on the University of Texas at Austin campus may not be ricin as originally thought, officials said Saturday.
Mike Elliott, senior district commander for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, said that while one preliminary test returned a positive result for the potentially deadly poison, three subsequent tests done at the Department of State Health Services Lab in Austin were negative.
"I'm pretty confident it's not ricin," Elliott said Saturday.
Elliott said the powder placement appears to be random. It was found by a student who was opening a roll of quarters to do laundry. The quarters came from a bank near Houston and were given to the student by her mother at some point last semester. [snip]
Elliott also said the powder was heavy and course, not a fine consistency, as a weapon meant to be inhaled would be.
Some banks, Elliott said, use a powdery substance to clean coins – though he added that such an explanation is "purely conjecture at this time."
As a precaution, weapons of mass destruction experts from Quantico, Va., were in Texas on Saturday to retrieve and take samples back to federal labs for additional tests, said FBI Special Agent Rene Salinas, a spokesman with the San Antonio office. That office is now leading the Joint Terrorism Task Force's investigation into the incident. [snip]
0n a side note, I love my castor bean plants (trees)...I use the blooms and leaves in floral arrangements when I'm going for an exotic look.
Thanks to Rte66 for the up date in post #164.
Thanks Granny mail call
You mean a bad feeling like this is just more overreaction from a populace that has been whipped into a frenzy to report everything under the sun to the government? Or some other sort of bad feeling?
You are the freeper that worked in banks right?
Did you see this update?
Input?
i live in austin and we wound out later that night that it was a false positive.
it still sounded and looked odd because everyone was still dressed in the blue suits and acting all scared. There was not as much mayhem as would be suspected from something this severe.
I have to admit I've never seen any type of coin cleaner in the banks I've worked. Even when I 'floated' to different branches on a daily basis there was no such a thing in any of the branches. Whether they were uptown or downtown, old or new... Some bigger branches had a machine that you simply dumped bags of coin into and it sorted it, counted it, and bagged it to be sent to the Fed.
The policy was old dirty money currency or coin was removed from circulation and sent to the Federal Reserve. We simply didn't waist time trying to clean the stuff. At least that's my experience in my region. What happens to old dirty money once at the Fed.? As far as I know they simply destroy it.
Coin cleaning is usually only done by coin collectors. Perhaps someone should check the dates etc. on them coins?
Went out and double checked the Federal Reserve site and the U.S. Mint site. Neither appears to wash coins either. It's all automated these days and if it doesn't get accepted through the sorters, it get destroyed.
And that is exactly what I wanted your input on!
Thank you.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1585311/posts?page=164#164
>>>>Elliott also said the powder was heavy and course, not a fine consistency, as a weapon meant to be inhaled would be.
Some banks, Elliott said, use a powdery substance to clean coins – though he added that such an explanation is "purely conjecture at this time."<<<<
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1585311/posts?page=172#172
>>>>Went out and double checked the Federal Reserve site and the U.S. Mint site. Neither appears to wash coins either. It's all automated these days and if it doesn't get accepted through the sorters, it get destroyed.<<<
Cal: Yje tests came back negative. False alarm-thank God !
It is good news. I'm still curious about what the powder is and where it came from though.
I will stick with my donut theory.
You are welcome. The statement stuck out like a soar thumb, I just assumed it was what you found odd too. LOL.
The region 4 Fed. offers tours of its facility in Cleveland. It is really cool and if one ever visits with a group one can take the tour. The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland’s building, a national historic landmark, stands as a monument to the superb craftsmanship and prosperity of the post-World War I era.
You get to see how the money is processed and how the Fed affects the economy is explained. It is really a very unique opportunity if one ever gets the chance. A group of outstanding bank associates was honored with a tour one year, that's how I got to go.
I think you donut theory is more believable that that coin cleaning theory the investigator came out with.
Thanks for the tip. That is something I would never of thought of visiting. I will keep that in mind definitely.
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