disaster 5th 1108_5th ed 2011 - Homeland Security and Emergency ...

Signs & Symptoms: Depends on how much ricin a person is exposed to -
- in large amounts death could occur within 36 to 72 hours. If a person lives
more than 3-5 days without problems, there’s a good chance they’ll survive:
• Inhalation - within a few hours of breathing in large
amounts of ricin, the first signs are usually coughing,
tightness in the chest, hard time breathing, fever, nausea
(sick to stomach), and heavy sweating. In the next few
hours excess fluid would build up in lungs making it even
harder to breathe and skin may turn blue. Finally, blood
pressure drops and breathing will stop leading to death.
• Ingestion - if a large amount of ricin is swallowed it will
cause internal bleeding of the stomach and intestines,
leading to puking and bloody diarrhea within 2 to 6 hours
-- and most likely lead to liver, spleen and kidneys shutting
down, and person could die within several days
• Injection - if enough ricin is injected into a person, it
immediately kills muscles and lymph nodes around area
where it entered body ~ eventually organs will shut down
• Skin or eyes - mist or powder can cause redness and pain
Treatment: There is no antidote for ricin exposure. Supportive medical
care can be given based on how a person was exposed to ricin (like oxygen
[if inhalation] or I.V. fluids or flushing stomach with activated charcoal [if
ingestion]), but care mainly helps symptoms.
If a mist or powder was released, get the ricin off or out of body asap:
• First - leave area as quickly as possible
... if outdoors - move away and upwind from area
... if in building - get outside to high ground and upwind
• If inhaled - get fresh air as quickly and calmly as possible
• If mist or powder on clothing or skin - remove contaminated
clothes and shoes but don’t pull anything over head
- cut it off. Seal items in a bag, then seal that bag in a bag.
Immediately wash body with clean water and soap.
• If mist or powder in eyes - remove contacts and put in
bags with clothing. If eyes burn or vision is blurred, rinse
eyes with water for 10 to 15 minutes. If wearing glasses,
wash them with soap and water before putting back on.
Smallpox - is a very serious, highly contagious and sometimes deadly
disease caused by the variola virus. The most common form of smallpox
causes raised bumps on the face and body of an infected person. There has
not been a case of smallpox in the world since 1977, however in the 1980s
all countries consolidated their smallpox stocks in two government-
98 www.itsadisaster.net or call 1-888-999-4325