The umbrella had been rigged to inject a poison ricin pellet under Markov’s skin. In 1978, Georgi Markov, a Bulgarian writer and journalist who was living in London, died after he was attacked by a man with an umbrella.

Pellets of ricin, or ricin dissolved in a liquid, can be injected into people’s bodies. People can be poisoned by breathing in ricin mist or powder or by ingesting poisoned food or water. It would take a deliberate act to make ricin and use it to poison people. How Could I Be Exposed to Ricin?Īccidental exposure to ricin is highly unlikely. Ricin has some potential medical uses, such as bone marrow transplants and cancer treatment. Ricin is part of the waste “mash” produced when castor oil is made. Where Is Ricin Found and How Is It Used?Ĭastor beans are processed throughout the world to make castor oil.

Ricin is very stable, therefore it is not susceptible to extreme conditions such as very hot or very cold temperatures. It can be in the form of a powder, a mist, or a pellet, or it can be dissolved in water or weak acid.

Ricin is a poison that can be made from the waste left over from processing castor beans.

Ricin poisoning antidote