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. Receives assistance from Eastern Norway. Operations leader Joachim Malterud. Photo: Benedikte Grov / news The property is cordoned off pending the police receiving assistance from specialists. – There is control over the people who have and may have been exposed to the substance. Competence will now arrive from the east of Norway to conduct an inspection of the house and property to determine what happens next in the case, says task leader Joachim Malterud to news. It is expected that they will arrive at the site by helicopter at 2pm. – They will enter the property and carry out their investigations. It is done with the aim of making it safe to be on the property afterwards, says Malterud. He says there is so far no danger to the environment. The fire and health services have now left the scene, while the police remain. House owner: Surrealist news has spoken to the man who owns the house and who has rented it to the woman. – I have to pinch my arm. It’s completely surreal. I was called by the fire service this morning and was told to dress well, take my mobile and get in the car to keep warm, he tells news. – When I got out into the yard, I understood that it was bloody serious. The area was then cordoned off and the fire, ambulance and ambulance had arrived. The man usually lives elsewhere in the county, but was in the house this morning when he was called. – Fortunately, I didn’t have the children with me. I’m glad that my tenant seems to be getting out of it with his life intact, says the man. 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”. – Ricin is very dangerous due to its high toxicity. One milligram can be enough to kill an adult person by inhalation or injection. If you ingest the poison by swallowing, the fatal dose is approximately one gram, says researcher Bent Tore Røen at the Norwegian Defense Research Institute (FFI) to news. – Ricin works by preventing protein synthesis in the body’s cells. The first symptoms occur after a few hours in the form of nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. When lethal doses are taken, the cause of death will ultimately be organ failure, says Røen. 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 currently no effective treatment for ricin poisoning, says Røen. 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 – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
