- Hello Jeff - It appears that a very mild form of Ricin
was found in baby food. Furthermore, it does appear that this is the work
of a "lone nut" of the homegrown variety.
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- People who purchase baby food need to make sure that
the jar's top has not been "popped" and check for any other signs
of product tampering prior to purchase of the product.
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- I am quit sure that this is the work of a very unsophisticated
and sick individual with very limited scientific background. Moreover,
it is likely he leared about ricin being extracted from castor beans during
the evening news. In February, traces of ricin were found in the US Senate
mailroon and many news reports carried the information about ricin and
how it is fabricated.
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- This is a perfect example of how a "little"
knowledge can cause more harm then good.
-
- Patricia Doyle
-
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- Mild Form Of Ricin Found In Baby Food
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- By Ben Fox
- Associated Press Writer
- 7-29-4
-
- IRVINE, Calif. (AP) - Poison
found in two jars of baby food purchased at the same store was not in a
deadly form and the two infants who ate small of amounts of the banana
yogurt dessert did not even fall ill, officials said.
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- The contamination of the Gerber brand food was disclosed
Wednesday by police, who are searching for a man they believe may have
witnessed the tampering. Charles Dewey Cage, 47, of Irvine, was "in
the area at a relevant time,'' said Orange County District Attorney Tony
Rackauckas.
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- A man identifying himself as Cage called the Orange County
Register on Wednesday night to say he needed ``a good lawyer'' and to deny
any involvement.
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- "I've got two strikes on me,'' said the caller.
"Do you think I'd do something like that? I did not do it.''
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- When a reporter quizzed the man to confirm his identity
he provided Cage's birth date.
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- No one has been arrested, and authorities said no more
contamination was found at the Irvine supermarket.
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- "There's no reason to believe there is any more
out there,'' said Dan Henson, special agent in charge of the FDA's Los
Angeles field office.
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- The jars were tainted with ground-up castor beans containing
tiny amounts of the poison ricin, said Food and Drug Administration officials
who tested the baby food. It was a less toxic, natural component of the
castor beans, which can be obtained from ornamental plants.
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- "It's unlikely there would be serious injury with
the level of castor bean found in those two jars we tested,'' Dr. David
Acheson, chief medical officer with the FDA's Center for Food, Safety and
Applied Nutrition, said Wednesday.
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- On June 16, a man told Irvine police that as he prepared
to feed his son, he found a note inside a jar of baby food warning that
it had been contaminated. A similar case was reported by an Irvine couple
on May 31.
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- Irvine Police Chief David Maggard told the Register the
notes said that "the person who ate it would die in a short time.''
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- Investigators said the message implied the jars were
poisoned by an Irvine police officer. That officer, who was not identified,
is not a suspect. The case was turned over to the district attorney's office.
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- Acheson said the FDA received the samples several weeks
ago and ran extensive tests to determine the contents disclosed Wednesday.
A third jar taken from one of the homes had been washed by the parents
and didn't have enough food inside to be tested.
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- The Gerber Products Co., based in Parsippany, N.J., is
working with investigators. Authorities told the company the contamination
occurred after the food was manufactured, said Gerber spokeswoman Terry
Boylan.
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- As an added precaution, Gerber has removed its banana
yogurt dessert from all stores in Southern California.
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- Gerber baby food jars are vacuum sealed and should pop
when opened, but Rackauckas advised people to buy jars with a plastic seal
and suggested pouring the food into a plate to check it before serving.
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- Ricin, in its purified form, can be fatal if swallowed,
inhaled or injected. A dose about the size of the head of a pin could be
enough to kill an adult, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
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- The FBI still is trying to determine how ricin turned
up in a U.S. Senate mailroom in February. The discovery led to the shutdown
of three Senate office buildings for several days. Also unsolved are two
letters containing vials of ricin that were found last year in postal facilities.
One of those letters was addressed to the White House.
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- On the Net: http://www.gerber.com
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- http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-4363440,00.html
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- Patricia A. Doyle, PhD
- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message
board at: http://www.clickitnews.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php?
Cat=&Board=emergingdiseases
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
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