Tiscali Quicklinks. Please visit our Accessibility Page for a list of the Access Keys you can use to find your way around the site, skip directly to the main navigation, to the page content, or to more links within reference.

Ricin acquired notoriety in 1978, when Georgi Markov, an exiled Bulgarian dissident queuing at a London bus stop, was hit by an umbrella spiked with this poison and died within hours. A few similar cases have been reported since. Because of its extremely high toxicity the LD50 or half-lethal dosis is estimated to lie in the milligram range and its relatively straightforward production from the castor bean, this toxin is a major issue in crime prevention.
Red symbolizes the brotherhood of man. Black represents the African people. Yellow stands for sunshine. Effective date: 9 October 1962.
>>