# (probably) dumb questions about castor oil & ricin

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-dumb-questions-about-castor-oil-ricin/563322>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 7, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-dumb-questions-about-castor-oil-ricin/563322 "2010-12-07T20:09:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\
**Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-dumb-questions-about-castor-oil-ricin/563322/1 "2010-12-07T20:09:48Z")

</div>

One can buy castor oil in any pharmacy, Kmart, even the 99 cent store. Castor oil is made from the castor bean (a seed, actually). The castor bean also contains ricin, an extremely toxic substance.

\*How hard is it to manufacture castor oil separating the ricin?

\*Has there ever been a case of ricin ending up in the final product of castor oil?

\*Why isn’t working in a factory that makes castor oil considered an extremely dangerous job?

\*What happens to the castor beans & ricin after the castor oil is made?

\*Why isn’t there tons of ricin on the black market from being snuck out of the companies that make castor oil?

\*Where are the castor plants grown for castor oil that is made in the U.S.?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\
**Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-dumb-questions-about-castor-oil-ricin/563322/2 "2010-12-07T21:18:41Z")

</div>

> [@pkbites](#):
>
> \*Why isn’t working in a factory that makes castor oil considered an extremely dangerous job?

Maybe not extremely dangerous, but somewhat dangerous. From [Wikipedia:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_oil)

> [@Wikipedia](#):
>
> The castor seed contains ricin, a toxic protein. Harvesting castor beans is not without risk.[5] Allergenic compounds found on the plant surface can cause permanent nerve damage, making the harvest of castor beans a human health risk. India, Brazil, and China are the major crop producers, and the workers suffer harmful side effects from working with these plants.[6] These health issues, in addition to concerns about the toxic byproduct (ricin) from castor oil production, have encouraged the quest for alternative sources for hydroxy fatty acids.[7][8] Alternatively, some researchers are trying to genetically modify the castor plant to prevent the synthesis of ricin.[9]

In order to poison an individual, ricin must be inhaled, ingested, or injected, all of which are unlikely (but not impossible) in a factory setting.

From the Wikipedia page on [ricin,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricin), it looks like ricin is inherently a part of the waste leftover after production of castor oil, rather than being included with the oil.

Castor bean production map:

> **[File:2006castor oil seed.PNG](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2006castor_oil_seed.PNG)**
>
> Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time.
> You cannot overwrite this file. The following page uses this file:
> The following other wikis use this file:

India, China and Brazil are the top three producers, with Ethiopia a distant fourth place.