Ricin-Laced Letters Sent To Bloomberg

Yesterday the NYPD confirmed that two ricin-laced letters were sent to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The letters contained messages about Bloomberg's support for gun control.

The suspicious material found in the two letters was a "pink-orange oily substance," he said, adding that it was the second of two tests that showed what appeared to be trace amounts of ricin. The substance is being tested at the National Bioforensic Analysis Center in Maryland, with conclusive results expected by Friday. Some of the emergency services workers who touched the letter Friday were examined after they showed minor intestinal symptoms of ricin exposure on Saturday, Browne said. The symptoms have since subsided. Civilian workers showed no symptoms, Browne said in a statement. "We take a lot of security measures as you know," Bloomberg said. "The men and women that open the mail for example ... they are well trained."

Bloomberg says that he will not be intimidated: "The letter obviously referred to our anti-gun efforts, but there's 12,000 people (who) are going to get killed this year with guns and 19,000 that are going to commit suicide with guns, and we're not going to walk away from those efforts."  Ricin, for which there is no antidote, can be fatal if inhaled or ingested. A mere "pinpoint" of ricin can cause death with 48 hours.