Substance, possibly ricin, found at Las Vegas motel

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Police and Homeland Security officials were investigating a substance found at a motel Thursday evening, with preliminary tests indicating it was the poison ricin.

Officers were called to the Extended Stay America Motel and retrieved a package from the motel manager that was determined to be a chemical or controlled substance, said Officer Ramone Denby, who didn't immediately have more details on the initial incident.

Two preliminary tests late Thursday indicated it was ricin, Denby said. A third test would be conducted by the Centers for Disease Control, and the substance was being sent to a second local lab for testing. Results of those tests would be known Friday, Denby said.

Police cordoned off the area and isolated the motel room where the substance was found.

Three motel employees and another person were quarantined and decontaminated at the site, then taken to local hospitals for further testing, Denby said. All appeared to be in good condition. Three police officers who had been exposed were also taken to hospitals, Denby said

It takes between six and eight hours for someone exposed to ricin to show signs of contamination, Denby said.

A woman who answered the phone at the motel declined to comment.

Officials from the FBI, Las Vegas Health District, a hazardous materials team and the National Guard were at the scene.

Ricin is made from the waste left over from processing castor beans, and can be extremely lethal. As little as 500 micrograms, or about the size of the head of a pin, can kill a human, according to the CDC Web site.