Health officials clear part of Hastings apartment building after ricin exposure

MDHHS cleared first floor units 101‑113 and the hallway connecting those apartments to the south stairwell at Tyden Lofts in Hastings, Michigan, after a ricin exposure incident earlier this month. In a letter health consultation dated Sept. 15, MDHHS concluded that the area no longer poses an imminent danger to life and health from ricin.

Environmental sampling on Sept. 14 identified ricin contamination levels below 0.2 nanograms per square centimeter, two orders of magnitude less than the clearance threshold of 190 nanograms per square centimeter. Five locations were sampled, with one duplicate. Sampling was conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with analysis performed by the MDHHS Bureau of Laboratories.

MDHHS recommends lifting the imminent danger order for the cleared area and will coordinate further decontamination and testing for the remaining parts of the first floor. The HVAC system will not be turned on until clearance is complete, and the area will remain accessible only to authorized personnel with proper personal protective equipment.

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