Ricin Poisioning

Reportable by Laboratories and Providers

About this Reportable Disease

This is an immediately reportable condition. Please contact the Tennessee Department of Health at 615-741-7247 and ask to speak to the epidemiologist on call. 

Infectious agent:  Ricinus communis (castor bean)

Description of illness: A poison found naturally in castor beans or from the leftover waste of castor bean processing. Symptoms depend on route of exposure and dosage, and initial symptoms typically occur in less than 10 hours. Inhalation symptoms include respiratory distress, nausea, and fluid building in the lungs. Ingestion symptoms are vomiting, diarrhea, and blood in the urine. The poison can take the form of powder, mist, a pellet, or can be dissolved in water. Exposure to ricin is highly unlikely, but the poison can be used as a biological weapon.

Laboratory Reporting for this Disease

Reporting requirements apply to all laboratories located within Tennessee, as well as laboratories outside of Tennessee that test residents of Tennessee, including laboratories located within healthcare facilities. Healthcare providers and laboratories in the same healthcare facility both have a duty to report. The type of organisms and analytes laboratories must report to TDH for 2026 are indicated, and there are several ways laboratories can report results to TDH.

Information about this Reportable Disease for Healthcare Providers

Clinical Summary

Ricin is a potent plant-derived toxin from the seeds of the castor bean; it can be inhaled, swallowed, injected, or enter through broken skin/eyes.

Once inside the body, ricin inhibits protein synthesis in cells, which causes widespread cell death and organ failure.

Symptoms depend on how exposure occurred: inhalation may lead to breathing difficulty, fever, cough, and chest tightness within hours; ingestion can cause vomiting, diarrhea (often bloody), dehydration, and low blood pressure.

Exposure through skin or eyes is less common with intact skin, but contact can still cause redness, pain, and, if enough toxin enters, serious systemic effects. 

No specific antidote exists; treatment is purely supportive (airway support, fluids, managing organ failure), and rapid medical care improves the chance of survival. 

Healthcare Provider Reporting

Healthcare reporting requirements apply to all providers located within Tennessee, as well as providers whose patients reside in Tennessee.

Providers must report cases of all diseases and conditions listed through one of these methods:

• Mail or fax a completed PH-1600 form to your local health department or fax to the state health office at (615) 741-3857

• Send automatically via electronic case reporting (eCR). See this TDH webpage for more information on eCR, register at the Trader Partner Registration website, or contact MU.Health@tn.gov for assistance.

• Submit online via NBS. NBS is TDH's reportable disease system. To request an NBS account for reporting Complete this user survey to request an NBS account for reporting. 

• Blood lead levels can be sent via fax ( (615) 741-3857), entered online, or reported using the instructions at this link. 

Information about this Reportable Disease for the Public

What It Is

Ricin is a naturally-occurring poison found in the seeds of the castor bean plant. It can also be made from the waste “mash” left after castor oil production. The substance may appear as a powder, mist, pellet, or dissolved in water or a weak acid. It’s stable under normal conditions, though high heat (above about 80 °C / 176 °F) destroys it. Because it’s a toxin (not a living organism), it cannot spread from person to person. 

Types

  • Ricin isn’t classified into “types” in the way viruses are, but exposure routes differ: inhalation, ingestion (swallowing), injection, or eye/skin contact.
  •  Inhalation: breathing in powder or mist; ingestion: swallowing contaminated food/water; injection: direct deposit into body; skin/eye: contact with broken skin or mucous membranes..
  • The severity depends significantly on the route, dose, and how “pure” the ricin is. National Postal Mail Handlers  While ingestion is possible through castor beans, unintended exposure is highly unlikely.

Signs and Symptoms

  • Symptoms vary depending on how the toxin entered the body and the amount.
  • Inhalation: first symptoms may appear 4-8 h (up to ~24 h) after exposure: difficulty breathing, fever, cough, chest tightness. 
  • Later: heavy sweating, fluid build-up in lungs, blue skin (cyanosis), low blood pressure, respiratory failure. 
  • Ingestion: symptoms usually in less than 10 h: vomiting, diarrhea (possibly bloody), severe dehydration, low blood pressure; may progress to liver/spleen/kidney failure. 
  • Skin/eye exposure: ricin is unlikely to get through intact skin, but powders contacting skin/eyes may cause redness, pain. 

Treatment

  • There is no specific antidote for ricin poisoning. 
  • Treatment is supportive: medical care to manage symptoms (e.g., breathing support, fluids, treating organ failure) rather than cure the toxin directly.
  • If exposure is suspected: remove yourself from the contaminated area, take off contaminated clothes safely, wash skin thoroughly with soap and water, rinse eyes if needed, seek emergency medical attention. 
  • Because the time to onset and severity depends on exposure route and dose, early recognition and treatment are critical.

This Page Last Updated: March 25, 2026 at 8:53 PM