What abrin is
Abrin is a natural poison that is found in the seeds of a plant called the rosary
pea or jequirity pea. These seeds are red with a black spot covering one end.
Abrin is similar to ricin, a toxin that is also found in the seeds of a plant
(the castor bean plant). However, abrin is much more poisonous than ricin.
Abrin can be made in the form of a powder, a mist, or a pellet, or it can be
dissolved in water.
Powdered abrin is yellowish-white in color.
Abrin is a stable substance, meaning that it can last for a long time in the
environment despite extreme conditions such as very hot or very cold temperatures.
Where abrin is found and how it is used
Abrin is not known to have been used in any wars or terrorist attacks.
The rosary pea, which is the source of abrin, is common to many tropical areas
throughout the world and is sometimes used as an herbal remedy.
The seeds of the rosary pea have been used to make beaded jewelry, which can
lead to abrin poisoning if the seeds are swallowed.
Abrin has some potential medical uses, such as in treatment to kill cancer cells.
How you could be exposed to abrin
It would take a deliberate act to obtain abrin from rosary pea seeds and use
it to poison people. Accidental exposure to abrin is not likely.
You could inhale (breathe in) abrin if it is in the form of a mist or a powder.
You could be exposed if you touch surfaces on which abrin particles or droplets
have landed, or if particles or droplets of abrin land on your skin or in your
eyes.
You could ingest (swallow) abrin if it is in food or water.
Pellets of abrin, or abrin dissolved in a liquid, could be injected into a person’s
body.
Abrin poisoning is not contagious. It cannot be spread from person to person
through casual contact.
How abrin works
Abrin works by getting inside the cells of a
person’s body and preventing the cells from making the proteins they need. Without
the proteins, cells die. Eventually this is harmful to the whole body, and death
may occur.
Effects of abrin poisoning depend on whether abrin was inhaled, ingested,
or injected.
Signs and symptoms of abrin exposure
The major symptoms of
abrin poisoning depend on the route of exposure and the dose received, though
many organs may be affected in severe cases.
Initial symptoms of abrin poisoning
by inhalation may occur within 8 hours of exposure. Following ingestion of abrin,
initial symptoms may occur in less than 6 hours but usually are delayed for
1 to 3 days.
Inhalation: Within a few hours of inhaling significant amounts
of abrin, the likely symptoms would be respiratory distress (difficulty breathing),
fever, cough, nausea, and tightness in the chest. Heavy sweating may follow
as well as fluid building up in the lungs (pulmonary edema). This would make
breathing even more difficult, and the skin might turn blue. Excess fluid in
the lungs would be diagnosed by x-ray or by listening to the chest with a stethoscope.
Finally, low blood pressure and respiratory failure may occur, leading to death.
Ingestion: If someone swallows a significant amount of abrin,
he or she would develop vomiting and diarrhea that may become bloody. Severe
dehydration may be the result, followed by low blood pressure. Other signs or
symptoms may include hallucinations, seizures, and blood in the urine. Within
several days, the person’s liver, spleen, and kidneys might stop working, and
the person could die.
Skin
and eye exposure: Abrin in the powder or mist form can cause redness and pain
of the skin and the eyes.
Death from abrin poisoning could take place within
36 to 72 hours of exposure, depending on the route of exposure (inhalation,
ingestion, or injection) and the dose received. If death has not occurred in
3 to 5 days, the victim usually recovers.
Showing these signs and symptoms does
not necessarily mean that a person has been exposed to abrin.
How abrin poisoning is treated
Because no antidote exists for abrin, the most important factor is avoiding
abrin exposure in the first place. If exposure cannot be avoided, the most important
factor is then getting the abrin off or out of the body as quickly as possible.
Abrin poisoning is treated by giving victims supportive medical care to minimize
the effects of the poisoning. The types of supportive medical care would depend
on several factors, such as the route by which victims were poisoned (that is,
whether poisoning was by inhalation, ingestion, or skin or eye exposure). Care
could include such measures as helping victims breathe, giving them intravenous
fluids (fluids given through a needle inserted into a vein), giving them medications
to treat conditions such as seizure and low blood pressure, flushing their stomachs
with activated charcoal (if the abrin has been very recently ingested), or washing
out their eyes with water if their eyes are irritated.
How you can know whether you have been exposed to abrin
If there is a suspicion that people have inhaled abrin, a potential clue would
be that a large number of people who had been close to each other suddenly developed
fever, cough, and excess fluid in their lungs. These symptoms could be followed
by severe breathing problems and possibly death.
No widely available, reliable test exists to confirm that a person has been
exposed to abrin.
First,
get fresh air by leaving the area where the abrin was released. Moving
to an area with fresh air is a good way to reduce the possibility of
death from exposure to abrin.
- If
the abrin release was outside, move away from the area where the
abrin was released.
- If
the abrin release was indoors, get out of the building.
If you are near a release of abrin, emergency coordinators may tell you to
either evacuate the area or to “shelter in place” inside a building
to avoid being exposed to the chemical.
If you
think you may have been exposed to abrin, you should remove your clothing,
rapidly wash your entire body with soap and water, and get medical care
as quickly as possible.
Removing
your clothing:
- Quickly
take off clothing that may have abrin on it. Any clothing that has
to be pulled over the head should be cut off the body instead of
pulled over the head.
- If
you are helping other people remove their clothing, try to avoid
touching any contaminated areas, and remove the clothing as quickly
as possible.
Washing
yourself:
- As
quickly as possible, wash any abrin from your skin with large amounts
of soap and water. Washing with soap and water will help protect
people from any chemicals on their bodies.
- If
your eyes are burning or your vision is blurred, rinse your eyes
with plain water for 10 to 15 minutes. If you wear contacts, remove
them and put them with the contaminated clothing. Do not put the
contacts back in your eyes (even if they are not disposable contacts).
If you wear eyeglasses, wash them with soap and water. You can put
your eyeglasses back on after you wash them.
Disposing
of your clothes:
- After
you have washed yourself, place your clothing inside a plastic bag.
Avoid touching contaminated areas of the clothing. If you can't
avoid touching contaminated areas, or you aren't sure where the
contaminated areas are, wear rubber gloves or put the clothing in
the bag using tongs, tool handles, sticks, or similar objects. Anything
that touches the contaminated clothing should also be placed in
the bag. If you wear contacts, put them in the plastic bag, too.
- Seal
the bag, and then seal that bag inside another plastic bag. Disposing
of your clothing in this way will help protect you and other people
from any chemicals that might be on your clothes.
- When
the local or state health department or emergency personnel arrive,
tell them what you did with your clothes. The health department
or emergency personnel will arrange for further disposal. Do not
handle the plastic bags yourself.
If someone
has ingested abrin, do not induce vomiting or give fluids to drink.
Seek medical
attention right away. Dial 911 and explain what has happened.
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