LAS VEGAS — A police officer who went to a motel room where ricin was later found has tested positive for trace amounts of a substance that can be derived from the poison’s source, authorities said Thursday.
The male officer, whose name and age were not made public, has shown no signs of illness or symptoms of ricin poisoning, according to officials familiar with the probe who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the continuing investigation.
The motel room’s occupant remains in a hospital after police said they found vials of ricin, a poison that can be lethal in minuscule amounts, along with castor beans, from which ricin is made.
Officials have said since ricin was discovered Feb. 28 that they had not found evidence in the motel room or elsewhere of ricin contamination. The substance for which the police officer tested positive is an alkaloid extracted from the seeds of the castor plant and does not derive directly from ricin.
It was not immediately clear Thursday what effect that could have on the investigation into where the ricin came from. Las Vegas police did not respond to requests for comment.
Pat Armour, manager of the Southern Nevada Public Health Laboratory, is the local coordinator of sampling in the ricin case.
About 5 percent of the U.S. population is believed to have similar trace levels of ricinine in their system, Armour said.
It’s not dangerous at that level, and it’s possible that the officer’s urine test results stemmed from exposure to castor oil, cosmetics, particle board, paints or other products derived from castor beans, Armour said.
