Warning and rant!!

[growalot]

So my son calls and says his front flower garden is looking great and starts to tell me whats in it...that he stopped at the local green house and picked up some plants the CASTOR

BEAN looks great...WTH.... I said do you know what that is? Why of course not it's a nice fast growing plant and he was given no warning...they have 3 dogs that eat every thing..... friends with toddlers visiting all the time and the plant came with no warnings...Hey freaking NYS you want all kinds of rules and regulations to keep us all safe ? Then get your heads out of your arses and put in rules and regulations that could really do some help...!!!

 

http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/ricin.html

 

http://photobucket.com/images/castor%20bean/?page=1

 

Edited June 22, 2013 by growalot

[bowaholic]

It just shows that they only react when there is a hot political topic that will help their careers!

[Water Rat]

Wow.........I never knew this. Thanks for posting .

[sits in trees]

Interesting to say the least.

[5.9cummins]

So my son calls and says his front flower garden is looking great and starts to tell me whats in it...that he stopped at the local green house and picked up some plants the CASTOR

BEAN looks great...WTH.... I said do you know what that is? Why of course not it's a nice fast growing plant and he was given no warning...they have 3 dogs that eat every thing..... friends with toddlers visiting all the time and the plant came with no warnings...Hey freaking NYS you want all kinds of rules and regulations to keep us all safe ? Then get your heads out of your arses and put in rules and regulations that could really do some help...!!!

 

http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/ricin.html

 

http://photobucket.com/images/castor%20bean/?page=1

 

 

I dont think it was a wise decision on the nurseries part to sell the plant but there isnt anything in regulation that prevents it. A nursery could sell poison ivy if it wanted.

 

Its a horticultural oddity that is attractive to many people. Giant hogweed was brought here for the same reasons. Unlike Castor plants hogweed is able to establish itslef and there fore is considered invasive - i.e. something is done about it.

 

I have seen castor plants for sale before, although it was with a warning. Its not all that uncommon.

[growalot]

I under stand ..It just bugs me...there are many poisonous plants we all enjoy in our yards and gardens...but it should be mandated that people are warned of potential dangers...on the hog weed front...Keep a look out Fast Eddie...Mr. B was driving through Groveland and the Hog Weed crews were out in full hazmat gear spraying a large area of them....

[fasteddie]

The castor bean plant, Ricinus communis, contains two toxins that are poisonous to people, animals, and insects. The main toxic protein, ricin, is so potent that a single milligram may be sufficient to kill a human adult. Ricin is considered both a chemical and biological weapon and is explicitly prohibited by the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and Schedule 1 of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Ricin works its harm by destroying small parts of cells, called ribosomes. Ribosomes produce all of the proteins needed by a cell. If the proteins cannot be produced, the cell dies. Although the effects of ricin ingestion may be felt within a few hours (abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting), it is a slow-acting poison, with death occurring after 1-3 days. A victim who survives the severe dehydration and lowered blood pressure of advanced ricin poisoning will generally recover.

The other toxic protein in the castor bean, RCA (Ricinus communis agglutinin), agglutinates red blood cells. In other words, injection of RCA into the bloodstream essentially causes a person's blood to coagulate. Ingestion of a castor bean or its products will release ricin, but the RCA cannot cross the intestinal wall.

Castor oil and products made from castor oil contain very little ricin or RCA. However, castor beans are grown for ornamental purposes, too. The seeds from the garden plant present a poisoning hazard to children and pets. Dehydration and vomiting are more dangerous for children than adults, so ingestion of a single castor bean seed may be fatal for a child. However, if the seed is ingested whole, there is a chance that it may pass through the gastrointestinal system without releasing its ricin.

Purified ricin and RCA are of considerable concern as weapons for several reasons. First, castor bean seeds are readily obtainable. Second, several routes of exposure are possible (for ricin: inhalation, injection, or ingestion). Once the proteins are purified, the powdered toxin can be used to contaminate food or beverages. Ricin is heat-stable, so it can be applied to shrapnel within an explosive device. Possibly the greatest concern about ricin used as a weapon is that symptoms of poisoning can readily misdiagnosed.

At present, therapy for ricin poisoning consists of replacing fluids and treating the symptoms of poisoning, but research is underway to develop a vaccine for the toxin. Also, testing is underway for a new drug, using an inactivated form of the ricin protein, to treat individuals following exposure.

[DTG3k]

Id buy poison ivy to mess with my enemies. LOL

[Paula]

Growie, i am surprised someone in your family didn't know about or think about what a plant was. :-0

[growalot]

LOL...Paula you'd think...I get calls from both kids all the time  on plants and pets...our daughter mentioned a tiny lump on her dogs teet...I told her she needed to get right to the vet and not mess around did..the vet wanted to wait...2weeks it wasn't tiny any more...well she had the surgery Thursday to remove the teet...waiting results...

Our Son is the same way with having his own home and land...always wanting to know what this or that is growing around his place...one day I was look around an old rotted shed and found a mound of white powder...moved it with the tip of my boot and uncovered part of a bag...5#'s of arsenic!! Seriously! just dumped or broken out in the open...He bought an old farm house....out came the masks/ suits and shovels and containers....They keep me busy....