What potent toxin is extracted from the castor bean?
Ricin never proven. In spite of ricin's extreme toxicity and utility as an agent of chemical/biological warfare, production of the toxin is rather difficult to limit. The castor bean plant from which ricin is derived is a common ornamental and can be grown at home without any special care. Under both the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention and the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, ricin is listed as a schedule 1 controlled substance. Despite this, more than 1 million metric tons of castor beans are processed each year, and approximately 5% of the total is rendered into a waste containing negligible concentrations of
Diphtheria toxin is as follows: The exotoxin A of "Pseudomonas aeruginosa" uses a similar mechanism of action. Diphtheria toxin is extraordinarily potent. The lethal dose for humans is about 0.1 μg of toxin per kg of body weight. Death occurs through necrosis of the heart and liver. Diphtheria toxin has also been associated with the development of myocarditis. Myocarditis secondary to diphtheria toxin is considered one of the biggest risks to unimmunized children. Diphtheria toxin was discovered in 1888 by Émile Roux and Alexandre Yersin. In 1890, Emil Adolf von Behring developed an anti-toxin based on the blood of horses immunized with