# How Deadly Is Ricin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 10, 2003, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-deadly-is-ricin/147731 "2003-01-10T13:56:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Agback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/977dab/32.png) [@Agback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agback)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-deadly-is-ricin/147731/21 "2003-01-11T01:38:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*The lethal dose in the Markov case was 450mg. That’s not a lot really. \*\* 450 milligrams? Are you sure it wasn’t 450 _micrograms_? Regards, Agback ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-deadly-is-ricin/147731/22 "2003-01-11T13:05:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Agback \* > **450 milligrams? Are you sure it wasn’t 450 _micrograms_?** Correction already accepted. ---
**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-deadly-is-ricin/147731/23 "2003-01-11T18:17:44Z")
**aeropl** , what do the castor beans look like? If they are oval and about half an inch long, are they the ones you used to see in cheap imported necklaces? I’d heard they are poisonous. ---
**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-deadly-is-ricin/147731/24 "2003-01-11T18:41:36Z")
The quote from Cornell, “For an agent to be considered capable of causing a maximum credible event, it should be highly lethal, inexpensively and easily produced in large quantities, stable in aerosol form, and have the ability to be dispersed (1-5 mm). The ideal agent also is communicable from person to person and has no treatment or vaccine.” I think they are in error on that last sentence, saying ideally it would be communicable as well as untreatable. That makes it uncontrollable by the terrorist, ie once he has turned it loose in his target country it can spread anywhere, including to his own home. That’s why I am not really worried about Al Quaeda using smallpox. The communicable/untreatable scenario could be used to bluff; or it could be used by a psycho who really wants everyone to die, no matter what. Ricin, botulism, anthrax can be aimed at a target. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-deadly-is-ricin/147731.md?page=1)