International E-publication: Publish Projects, Dissertation, Theses, Books, Souvenir, Conference Proceeding with ISBN.  International E-Bulletin: Information/News regarding: Academics and Research

Talking about beans, banes and biocrimes: colour, concentration and India's outlook on Ricin

Author Affiliations

  • 1Department of Botany, Fergusson College, Pune-411004, India
  • 2Department of Botany, Fergusson College, Pune-411004, India

Res. J. Recent Sci., Volume 8, Issue (2), Pages 52-59, April,2 (2019)

Abstract

This study examines the details of the extraction procedure, analysis and the use of the biochemical compound Ricin from the seeds of the plant Ricinus communis (Castor). It is a very lethal chemical compound, a carbohydrate-binding protein called as lectin which can easily kill a human being within 2-5 days of exposure to it. The ricin extracted in the laboratory was not-so pure to kill any lives around it and was safely disposed off after analysing its colour and concentration. A total of 48 incidents involving ricin from 1914-2018 have been reported. India is also under constant threat of a probable ricin attack with an earlier threat from Al-Qaeda and being the major player in the market of castor oil production explains the wide spread availability of R. communis under plantation and in wild, which is indirectly projecting a picture of ricin production as waste in the industries annually, making it an inexpensive biological tool which doesn't harms the environment and only kills their requisite living target by making it a futuristic bio weapon to be used during silent wars.

References

  1. Wheelis M. and Rózsa L. (2009)., Deadly cultures: biological weapons since 1945., Harvard University Press, 284-293, 301-303. ISBN 0-674-01699-8
  2. Report (2018)., Flowers of India., www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Castor%20Bean%20Plant.html Accessed on: 20-05-2018
  3. Rotz L.D., Khan A.S., Lillibridge S.R., Ostroff S.M. and Hughes J.M. (2002)., Public health assessment of potential biological terrorism agents., Emerging infectious diseases, 8(2), 225-230. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid0802.010164
  4. BTWC (2011)., BWC/AD HOC GROUP/56 from the 23rd Session of the Ad Hoc Group of States Parties to the Convention., Geneva, 23 April - 11 May 2001.http://www.opbw.org/ahg/ahg_23.htm Accessed on 21-05-2018.
  5. Craig H.L., Alderks O.H., Corwin A.H., Dieke S.H. and Karel C.L. (1962)., A method of preparing toxic ricin from castor seeds., US Pat 3060165A.
  6. Wright H.T. and Robertus J.D. (1987)., The intersubunit disulfide bridge of ricin is essential for cytotoxicity., Archives of biochemistry and biophysics, 256(1), 280-284. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-9861(87)90447-4
  7. Barani K.R. and Xavier S.R. (2013)., Pharmacophore mapping based inhibitor selection and molecular interaction studies for identification of potential drugs on calcium activated potassium channel blockers, tamulotoxin., Pharmacognosy Magazine, 9, 89-95.
  8. Ujváry I. (2010)., Hayes' Handbook of Pesticide Toxicology (Third ed.)., Krieger R (ed). Elsevier, Amsterdam, 119-229.
  9. CDC (2018)., The Emergency Response Safety and Health Database: Biotoxin: RICIN - NIOSH., https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ershdb/emergencyresponsecard_29750002.html. Accessed on:31-06-2018
  10. Schep L.J., Temple W.A., Butt G.A. and Beasley M.D. (2009)., Ricin as a weapon of mass terror-Separating fact from fiction., Environment international, 35(8), 1267-1271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2009.08.004
  11. Kopferschmitt J., Flesch F., Lugnier A., Sauder P., Jaeger A. and Mantz J.M. (1983)., Acute voluntary intoxication by ricin., Human toxicology, 2(2), 239-242. https://doi.org/10.1177/096032718300200211
  12. Franz D.R. and Jaax N.K. (1997)., Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare., F.R. Sidell, E.T. Takafuji, & D.R. Franz (Eds), Borden Institute, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC, 631-642.
  13. Kortepeter M. and Christopher G.W. (2001)., USAMRIID, Government Printing Office, Fort Detrick Federick, Maryland.
  14. Maman M. and Yehezkelli Y. (2009)., Ricin: A possible, noninfectious biological weapon., In Bioterrorism and Infectious Agents: A New Dilemma for the 21st Century, Springer, New York, NY, 205-216.
  15. Mirarchi F.L. (2010)., CBRNE-Ricin., eMedicine Knowledge base. https://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/727382
  16. Targosz D., Winnik L. and Szkolnicka B. (2002)., Suicidal poisoning with castor bean (Ricinus communis) extract injected subcutaneously-case report., Journal of Toxicology: Clinical Toxicology, 40(3), 398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2009.04.019
  17. Fine D.R., Shepherd H.A., Griffiths G.D. and Green M. (1992)., Sub-Lethal Poisoning by Self-Injection with Ricin., Medicine, Science and the Law, 32(1), 70-72. https://doi.org/10.1177/002580249203200117
  18. Crompton R. and Gall D. (1980)., Georgi Markov-death in a pellet., Medico-Legal Journal, 48(2), 51-62. https://doi.org/10.1177/002581728004800203
  19. Brugsch H.G. (1960)., Toxic hazards: the castor bean., The New England Journal of Medicine, 262, 1039-1040.
  20. Rauber A. and Heard J. (1985)., Castor bean toxicity re-examined: a new perspective., Veterinary and human toxicology, 27(6), 498-502.
  21. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006)., Ricin: epidemiological overview for clinicians., https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/ricin/clinicians/epidemiology.asp Accessed on: 20-08-2018
  22. Audi J., Belson M., Patel M., Schier J. and Osterloh J. (2005)., Ricin poisoning: a comprehensive review., Jama, 294(18), 2342-2351. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.294.18.2342
  23. Challoner K.R. and McCarron M.M. (1990)., Castor bean intoxication., Annals of Emergency Medicine, 19(10), 1177-1183. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0196-0644(05)81525-2
  24. Wortmann G. (2004)., Ricin Toxin., In Physician's Guide to Terrorist Attack, Humana Press, Totowa, New Jersey, USA., 175-179.
  25. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2006)., Laboratory testing for ricin., https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/ricin/labtesting.asp Accessed on: 21-08-2018
  26. Fredriksson S.Å., Wunschel D.S., Lindström S.W., Nilsson C., Wahl K. and Åstot C. (2018)., A ricin forensic profiling approach based on a complex set of biomarkers., Talanta, 186, 628-635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2018.03.070
  27. Weber M. and Schulz H. (2011)., Immunological detection of ricin and castor seeds in beverages, food and consumer products., Toxichem Krimtech, 78, 276-277.
  28. Khnouf R., Chapman B., Jin S., Beebe D.J. and Fan Z.H. (2015)., Detection of ricin in beverages using cell-free protein synthesis in a microfluidic device., Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 221, 723-729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2015.06.077
  29. Vitetta E.S., Smallshaw J.E., Coleman E., Jafri H., Foster C., Munford R. and Schindler J. (2006)., A pilot clinical trial of a recombinant ricin vaccine in normal humans., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 103(7), 2268-2273. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0510893103
  30. Westfall J., Yates J.L., Van Slyke G., Ehrbar D., Measey T., Straube R., Donini O. and Mantis N.J. (2018)., Thermal stability and epitope integrity of a lyophilized ricin toxin subunit vaccine., Vaccine, 36(40), 5967-5976. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.08.059
  31. U.S. Food and Drug (2011)., Search Orphan Drug Designations and Approvals., https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/opdlisting/oopd/detailedIndex.cfm?cfgridkey=329110 Accessed on: 30-09-2018
  32. Pittman P.R., Reisler R.B., Lindsey C.Y., Güereña F., Rivard R., Clizbe D.P. and Smith L.A. (2015)., Safety and immunogenicity of ricin vaccine, RVEc™, in a Phase 1 clinical trial., Vaccine, 33(51), 7299-7306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.10.094
  33. Debashis Sangeeta (2003)., RICIN IN INDIAN CONTEXT : Could become a potent weapon in the hands of terrorists., South Asia Analysis Group. http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/paper583 Accessed on: 30-12-2018
  34. The Hindu (2011)., India, major producer of castor oil., https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/India-major-producer-of-castor-oil/article20116366.ece Accessed on: 30-12-2018
  35. Basrur R.M. and Joseph M. (2007)., Chemical Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Terrorism Threats: A Case Study on India., Landau Network- Centro Volta South Asia Security Project: Case Study 1/2007, 14. www.centrovolta.it
  36. Jayachandran C.R. (2003)., Ricin Terror over India's Horizon., https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Ricin-terror-over-Indias-horizon/articleshow/188478.cms Accessed on: 21-12-2018
  37. Carus W.S. (2001)., Bioterrorism and biocrimes: the illicit use of biological agents since 1900., NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIV WASHINGTON DC.
  38. TIME Magazine (1982)., Law: poison plot.,
  39. UPI ARCHIVES (1985)., Young genius guilty in plot to kill dad., https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/01/30/Young-genius-guilty-in-plot-to-kill-dad/2483829009075/ Accessed on: 21-12-2018
  40. History Commons (1994)., Profile: Minnesota Patriots Council., http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=minnesota_patriots_council_1 Accessed on: 21-12-2018
  41. Kifner J. (1995)., Man Arrested In Poison Case Kills Himself In Jail Cell., https://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/24/us/man-arrested-in-poison-case-kills-himself-in-jail-cell.html Accessed on: 21-12-2018
  42. Rizzo T. (2015)., Debora Green, imprisoned for the 1995 arson murder of two children, is denied new sentencing., https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article7939620.htmlAccessed on: 21-12-2018
  43. The Associated Press (1999)., National News Briefs; Material for Poison Gas Found in Suspect, https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/08/us/national-news-briefs-material-for-poison-gas-found-in-suspect-s-home.html Accessed on: 21-12-2018
  44. Gupta R.C. (2015)., Handbook of toxicology of chemical warfare agents., Academic Press.
  45. Bozza W.P., Tolleson W.H., Rosado L.A.R. and Zhang B. (2015)., Ricin detection: tracking active toxin., Biotechnology advances, 33(1), 117-123.
  46. Roxas-Duncan V.I. and Smith L.A. (2014)., Of beans and beads: ricin and abrin in bioterrorism and biocrime., Journal of Bioterrorism and Biodefense, 5(Special Issue).
  47. Hopkins N. and Branigan T. (2003)., Poison find sparks terror alert., Guardian Unlimited. https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/jan/08/terrorism.alqaida Accessed on: 21-12-2018
  48. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2003)., Investigation of a ricin-containing envelope at a postal facility--South Carolina, 2003., MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 52(46), 1129.
  49. ABC News (2004)., White House Earlier Was Ricin Letter Target., https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=96785&page=1 Accessed on: 21-12-2018
  50. CNN (2004)., Frist: Ricin confirmed, but no illness reported., Cable News.
  51. Network. http://articles.cnn.com/2004-02-03/us/senate.hazardous_1_deadly-toxin-ricin-deadly-poison-mailroom?_s=PM:US, undefined, undefined
  52. CNN (2005)., Florida man faces bioweapon charge., https://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/4294797.html Accessed on: 21-12-2018
  53. Research International Inc (2011)., A ricin primer., https://www.resrchintl.com/Ricin_Primer.html Accessed on: 21-12-2018.
  54. BBC News (2009)., Pair questioned over ricin find., http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8086701.stm Accessed on: 21-12-2018
  55. Roy A. (2014)., Biological weapon: poison for mom., https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/biological-weapon-poison-for-mom/cid/296179 Accessed on: 21-12-2018
  56. First Post (2015)., Breaking Bad fan sentenced to 8 years in jail after attempting to buy ricin poison., https://www.firstpost.com/living/breaking-bad-fan-sentenced-to-8-years-after-attempting-to-buy-ricin-poison-off-dark-web-2439056.html Accessed on: 21-12-2018
  57. Sharma P. (2011)., Man arrested after ricin found in house., https://topnews.us/content/233593-man-arrested-after-ricin-found-house Accessed on: 22-12-2018
  58. USDOJ (2011)., Agawan man sentenced to 15 years for threatening a federal prosecutor and unlawful possession of ricin., https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/ma/news/2011/June/CrookerMichaelSentencingPR.html Accessed on: 22-12-2018
  59. GSN U.K. (2011)., Man charged with possessing ricin recipe., https://www.nti.org/gsn/article/uk-man-charged-with-possessing-ricin-recipe/ Accessed on: 22-12-2018.
  60. Schmitt E. and Shanker T. (2011)., Qaeda Trying to Harness Toxin for Bombs, U.S. Officials Fear., https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/13/world/middleeast/13terror.html Accessed on: 22-12-2018
  61. Keays A.J. (2018)., Woman gets time served in ricin poisoning case., https://vtdigger.org/2018/09/06/woman-gets-time-served-ricin-poisoning-case/Accessed on: 24-12-2018
  62. The Local De. (2018)., Germany arrests wife in foiled, https://www.thelocal.de/20180724/ germany-arrests-wife-in-foiled-biological-attack-plot Accessed on: 24-12-2018
  63. Harris C.S.C. (2018)., Woman Whose Boyfriend Died Under, https://people.com/crime/s-c-woman-allegedly-posessed-ricin-after-boyfriend-suspicious-death/ Accessed on: 24-12-2018
  64. The Strait Times (2018)., France foiled possible ricin attack., https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/france-foiled-possible-ricin-attack Accessed on: 25-12-2018
  65. Gorman S. (2018)., Utah man charged with ricin mail threat against Trump, Mattis., https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-pentagon-ricin/utah-man-charged-with-ricin-mail-threat-against-trump-mattis-idUSKCN1MF29O Accessed on: 25-12-2018
  66. Gripas Y. (2018)., Person claimed ricin was in letter sent to Senator Collins home., https://www.reuters.com/article/us-maine-senator/person-claimed-ricin-was-in-letter-sent-to-senator-collins-home-idUSKCN1MQ30C Accessed on: 25-12-2018
  67. Schneider B.R. and Davis J.A. (2004)., The gathering biological warfare storm., 186. Greenwood Publishing Group, USA.