The police received a report about the case on Saturday at 8.35am. – The police received a report at approximately nine thirty this morning that a person had been exposed to a substance called ricin, or possibly was exposed to it, says operations manager Tore André Brakstad to news. The lawyer on duty in the West police district does not want to comment on whether anyone has been charged in the case. Ricin is extracted from castor beans from the holly palm. Illustration: BERND THISSEN / AFP – I have no further comments other than what has been communicated from the operations centre. We are initially working on the investigation, she says to news. The person’s apartment has been cordoned off and will be further handled with the assistance of the police’s national emergency resources, the police say. Taking no chances Brakstad tells news that they are not taking any chances until they have clarified what kind of substance is involved. – In the right form, this substance is so potent and toxic that it must be handled by people with special skills. Although we have not received 100 per cent confirmation that it is in its most dangerous form, we are taking those precautions and have thus received assistance from the national emergency resources. – The person concerned is looked after by health personnel. Beyond this, it is the police who handle the case, says mayor Leidulf Gloppestad in Gloppen municipality. According to the police, there is no danger to the rest of the population. A case will be opened which will be further investigated by the Sunnfjord police station district. No treatment Ricin can be extracted from castor beans from the legal plant holly palm. The poison causes internal bleeding and damaged organs. The form can be liquid, powder or crystals without a particular taste. It is mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records as “most deadly”. If the poison is ingested, the victim develops symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and bloody diarrhea. The victim dies of organ failure after a few days. If the poison is inhaled, one dies because the breathing is paralyzed. It can therefore be used as a weapon of mass destruction and terrorism, either by direct spraying into the air or as an additive to drinking water or food, according to Store Norske Leksikon. The poison can be detected at the scene, but not traced in the victim. Ricin is cheap and relatively easy to produce. There is no treatment or vaccine against the poison. Legal in Norway In 2018, an entire neighborhood in Bergen was cordoned off after the substance and a small amount of beans were found in an apartment in the city. In 2011, a man died in Tromsø after having prepared the poison at home. Although the plant is legal in Norway, most plant centers and flower shops stopped selling it several years ago. Until 2007, it was used as an ornamental plant in the pedestrian street in Fredrikstad.
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Woman may have been exposed to the toxic substance ricin in Gloppen – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
