Now Reading: Barry-Eaton District Health Department confirms ricin exposure and attention to pets
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Barry-Eaton District Health Department confirms ricin exposure and attention to pets
Barry-Eaton District Health Department confirms ricin exposure and attention to pets
Individuals protested on Saturday, demanding access to pets in Tyden Lofts. This comes after the apartments were evacuated earlier this week for ricin exposure.
HASTINGS, Michigan — The Barry-Eaton District Health Department has confirmed the presence of ricin at Tyden Lofts.
Saturday evening, the Barry-Eaton District Health Department (BEDHD) said that confirmatory testing has indicated ricin was present at Tyden Lofts, an apartment building in Hastings.
“Response teams have now moved into the sampling phase at Tyden Lofts, an important next step in the response plan,” BEDHD said in a release. “Teams will collect environmental samples to help determine whether ricin is present and whether additional cleanup or other actions are needed. This is an important next step toward allowing residents to safely return to their homes. Residents should not return to Tyden Lofts until they are told it is safe to do so.”
Residents, employees, contractors, visitors and others are not allowed to enter the facility unless authorized.
This update came hours after some residents expressed concern about pets in the apartment.
Around 1 p.m. on Saturday, a number of individuals gathered in Hastings with signs. The group expressed frustration regarding lack of communication regarding how pets in the building are being cared for.
BEDHD addressed Tyden Lofts pets in its Saturday press release.
“The health and well-being of pets remaining in the building has been a priority from the beginning of the response,” BEDHD said. “As officials have been able to safely access the building, pets have been provided with ample food and water. Today, response partners are also working to safely retrieve the remaining pets.”
All of this comes after an individual from Tyden Lofts went to Corewell Health Pennock Hospital Emergency Department on Thursday with apparent exposure to ricin, a natural poison that comes from the beans of the castor plant or castor oil. Symptoms from ricin poisoning depend on the amount and length of time that someone was exposed to ricin.
Tyden Lofts was evacuated after the individual taken to Corewell Health was found to have likely been exposed to ricin.
BEDHD said it will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.
