Discovery of the deadly poison ricin in a North London house last week has resulted in a Chelmsford garden centre taking castor oil seeds off its shelves.
Wyevale Garden Centre, in Cuton Hall Lane, Springfield, banned the seeds, from which the toxin ricin can be extracted, in what was described as a precautionary measure.
Ricin has no known antidote, and a thousandth of a gram is enough to kill an adult.
A Wyevale representative said: "We believe that this is the most responsible course of action for the company to take."
The seeds alone are highly poisonous and swallowing just a few could kill a child.
Dr John Waterhouse, a reader in the department of forensic science and chemistry at Anglia Polytechnic University, said: "It is relatively straightforward to make a crude form of ricin from castor oil seeds."
Published Friday, January 17, 2003
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