Vials test positive for ricin

Federal health officials have confirmed that vials found in a Nevada motel room have tested positive for the deadly toxin ricin.

A sample from the vials found in Roger Von Bergendorff's motel room in Las Vegas was analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"That result came back confirming that it is ricin," CDC spokesman Von Roebuck told the Deseret Morning News on Wednesday.

The vials were discovered after Bergendorff, 57, fell ill with symptoms similar to ricin poisoning. His cousin, Tom Tholen, found the vials in his extended-stay motel room last week. Police said guns, an "anarchist-type" textbook and castor beans — from which ricin is made — were also found.

Earlier this week, federal agents and emergency responders searched Tholen's Riverton home, where Bergendorff lived for a time. Some neighbors claimed authorities removed chemicals from the home, but the FBI refused to confirm it or speak about Bergendorff's possible connection to the ricin. The FBI also searched three West Jordan storage sheds rented by Bergendorff.

"Our investigation remains focused on making sure that there remains no public threat," FBI Special Agent Juan Becerra said Wednesday. "As for the ongoing criminal investigation, we will follow where the investigative leads and evidence takes us."

Bergendorff remains comatose in a Nevada hospital. The CDC said it is conducting "active surveillance" in the Las Vegas area, urging clinics to keep an eye out for people who come in with symptoms similar to ricin exposure.

Such measures have not been requested for Utah, Roebuck said.

Ricin is lethal in miniscule portions. The CDC said as little as 500 micrograms — about the size of the head of a pin — can kill an adult within 3 days. Ricin poisoning symptoms are flu-like, with breathing problems if it's inhaled, and diarrhea and vomiting if it's ingested. Ricin poisoning Ricin is not contagious.

The CDC said in a fact sheet released Tuesday that ricin could be used as a terrorist or warfare agent, but the FBI has said there is no apparent link to terrorism in this case.

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com