Powder at U. of Texas was not ricin

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-ricin27.html

AUSTIN -- The FBI determined a powdery substance found in a roll of quarters at a University of Texas dormitory was not ricin after initial state tests had indicated it was the potentially deadly poison, a spokesman said Sunday.

The FBI tests did not identify the substance, but they came back negative for the poison that is extracted from castor beans, said San Antonio FBI spokesman Rene Salinas.

"There were no proteins in there to indicate it was in fact ricin," Salinas said. He said was unlikely further testing would be done.

Texas health officials did "just a quick test and they don't check for the proteins in ricin," Salinas said.

[acmejack]

1. Surprise, surprise!

[KoKo]

2. Who else thought this was hyped. Even the Uof Tex spokespersons

didn't sound like they believed this when they were enterviewed on CNN. The CNN Medical consultant said that if it was Ricin that the exposure would be limited to one or two people and that it would be impossible to take out a large group of people with Ricin because it doesn't transfer from one person to another and one must inhale it or have it go through the skin. It didn't sound like something you could get a whole room sick with from some powder found in a "coin roll."

Bushies are getting too desperate. U of Tex. is only place they could stage something like this and not have it be questioned more thoroughly at the time. :shrug:

[katinmn]

3. Funny how the media went off half-cocked again

This wasn't even a story yet it played coast to coast.

The media never verfies anything anymore. Just keep printing and reading those press releases.

[Warren Stupidity]

4. Let me take a wild guess here.

The block of 'powdery substance' found in the UT dormitory laundry room was SOAP. Just guessing.

[malaise]

5. Duh!! n/t