DISASTER! - Homeland Security and Emergency Management ...

used in attack but hard since sunlight kills it. Also getrapidly developing pneumonia with shortness of breath,chest pain, cough, and sometimes bloody or watery spittle.May cause respiratory failure, shock or death. Can spreadperson to person through air (inhaling droplets from acough, sneeze, etc.)• Septicemic - can occur with either bubonic or pneumonicplague due to bacteria multiplying in blood. Also developabdominal pain, shock, and bleeding into skin and otherorgans. Does not spread person to person.Treatment: There are several antibiotics that can effectively treat plague.(It is very important to get treatment for pneumonic plague within 24 hoursof first symptoms to reduce the chance of death.)Ricin - is said to be one of the most toxic natural poisons made very easilyfrom the waste left over from processing castor beans. A castor bean plantis a shrub-like herb with clustered seed pods containing bean-like seeds.Accidental poisoning by ricin is unlikely -- it would have to be a plannedact to make and use the toxin as a weapon. Ricin can be in many forms andis not weakened much by extreme hot or cold temperatures. (Note: Ricinis also classed as a “biotoxin” under the CDC’s chemical agents’ list.)How it spreads: Ricin cannot spread person to person. People come intocontact with ricin by breathing in a mist or powder spread into the air(inhalation), by eating or drinking something containing toxin (ingestion),or by having a ricin solution or pellet stuck into the body (injection). It canalso irritate skin and eyes if exposed to the powder or mist.It is hard to say how much ricin could kill a person since it depends on howthat person was exposed to the toxin. For example, about 500 micrograms(about the size of the head of a pin) could kill a person if injected into thebody, but it would take a lot more if inhaled or swallowed. Ricin preventscells from making proteins they need when toxin gets inside the body. Cellswill die without proteins and eventually entire body shuts down and dies.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 livesmore than 3-5 days without problems, there’s a good chance they’ll survive:• Inhalation - within a few hours of breathing in largeamounts 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 fewhours excess fluid would build up in lungs making it evenharder to breathe and skin may turn blue. Finally, bloodpressure drops and breathing will stop leading to death.102 www.itsadisaster.net or call 1-888-999-4325