Ricin Toxin Poisoning

Ricin Toxin Poisoning

Ricin is a poison found naturally in castor beans. If castor beans are chewed and swallowed, the released ricin can cause injury. Within a few hours of inhaling significant amounts of ricin, the likely symptoms would be respiratory distress (difficulty breathing), fever, cough, nausea, and tightness in the chest. If someone swallows a significant amount of ricin, he or she would likely develop vomiting and diarrhea that may become bloody. Severe dehydration may be the result, followed by low blood pressure.

Ricin Toxin Poisoning is monitored to evaluate and improve prevention measures

In 2023, the count of Ricin Toxin Poisoning in Alachua County was 0 compared to Florida at 0. The line graph shows change over time when there are at least three years of data.

Links:   Healthy People 2030 | Other Resource
Alachua County
Ricin Toxin Poisoning, Single Year
Click on county name or “Florida” in the legend to hide or show the county or state.
Ricin Toxin Poisoning, Single Year  
AlachuaFlorida
Data YearCountDenomCountMOVCountDenomCountMOV
Florida
Ricin Toxin Poisoning, 2023
*Mouseover map to see county name and value. *Click a legend category to hide or show that category.
Ricin Toxin Poisoning, 2023      MOV
CountyCountDenomCountMOV
8/12/2025 3:56:06 PM

Data Note(s)


FLHealthCHARTS.gov is provided by the Florida Department of Health, Division of Public Health Statistics and Performance Management.

Data Source: Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Epidemiology

  • Chart will display if there are at least three years of data.

  • Multi-year counts are a sum of the selected years, not an average.

  • Quartiles are calculated when data is available for at least 51 counties.

  • MOV - Measure of Variability: Probable range of values resulting from random fluctuations in the number of events. Not calculated when numerator is below 5 or denominator is below 20, or count or rate is suppressed. The MOV is useful for comparing rates to a goal or standard. For example, if the absolute difference between the county rate and the statewide rate is less than the MOV, the county rate is not significantly different from the statewide rate (alpha level = 0.05). When the absolute difference between the county rate and the statewide rate is greater than the MOV, the county rate is significantly different from the statewide rate. MOV should not be used to determine if the rates of two different counties, or the county rates for two different years, are statistically significantly different.

  • Denom - abbreviated for Denominator.

  • Population estimates are not available for persons whose county of residence is unknown. Given this, the denominator and associated rate are not available.

  • * - Indicates the county rate is statistically significantly different from the statewide rate.

  • Merlin Code 98830
  • This disease became reportable on June 9, 2003. The first full year of data collection is 2004. Cases occurring in previous years may have been retrospectively identified after becoming reportable. Counts and rates include confirmed and probable cases of Ricin Toxin Poisoning .
  • Data presented here are from Merlin, Florida's web-based reportable disease surveillance system. Note that any data prior to 1992 are not maintained in Merlin and should be interpreted with caution.
  • Data in this report are aggregated by the date the case was reported to the Bureau of Epidemiology, Florida Department of Health. Cases are assigned to Florida counties based on the county of residence at the time of the disease identification, regardless of where they became ill or were hospitalized, diagnosed, or exposed.
  • Reports for reportable disease data are produced weekly, monthly, and annually. To access these reports, visit Surveillance Publications. More detailed information on interpreting data can be found in the introduction section of the annual reports. For questions, please contact the Bureau of Epidemiology at (850) 245-4401.
  • This is primary, quantitative data.