Rank: Super forum user 
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I have been passed on an alert on the above and it appears that these beans are extremely toxic - but all the alerts relating to this that I can find seem to refer to a "National Alert" recently published but I can find no source - anybody any the wiser?
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Rank: Forum user
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Rank: Super forum user
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Thanks to you both - I have now sourced the original which came from the Trading Standards office
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Rank: Super forum user 
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What a superb post
Perhaps IOSH could put this on the front page of the website as an alert, in fact perhaps we should have a page for alerts and warnings for work related issues?
Arguable if this is work... unless you work with children, imports/exorts/ healthcare/ response service etc etc... (ok that was for those with blinkers on)
Views?
...... and before you ask - I used to be a Lert too.
Steve
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Rank: Super forum user
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Just fyi the risk comes from ingestion of crushed seeds/beans rather than the wearing.
Des
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Rank: Super forum user
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It's probably the case that most forum users have never heard of Jequirity beans. If not, I'm flaunting my ignorance at never having heard of them before. Anyhow, this topic inspired me to do some internet searching and find that the beans comprise the seeds of abrus precatorius, a tropical/semi-tropical plant found in South East Asia. They contain the toxin abrin which is considerably more potent than ricin, and comprise a controlled substance under the (UK?) Terrorism Act. According to the Hoax-Slayer webite at
http://www.hoax-slayer.c...ct-bracelet-recall.shtml the alerts about bracelets made from the beans are regarded as valid.
In relation to the UK this is mostly a trading standards/consumer protection/safe disposal matter. One foreseeable scenario is that if the bracelets are left unattended and accessible to very young children, such children might try to chew the shiny colourful beans.
As regards OS&H, it's possible that the bracelets might pose/have posed some risk to employees in the places where they are/were sold, e.g. perhaps from dust in bulk delivery packages. Also, the people who make the bracelets, probably for a pittance in the areas where the plant grows, appear to be vulnerable to a risk of fatal poisoning through accidental skin piercing by the devices used to make the holes in the beans.
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Rank: Super forum user
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It's just possible that any leaflets with the bracelets describe/d the beads as "natural". This possibility prompts a general comment/caution that the word "natural" shouldn't necessarily be taken to infer that something is safe.
Lots of natural substances, parts of plants, etc are harmful, toxic or deadly, etc. These include the elements arsenic and mercury and also common UK plants like foxglove or trees like laburnum and yew. From the OS&H and related viewpoints it's important that people have appropriate knowledge of their adverse aspects and deal with them accordingly. For example, laburnum trees are very popular and common because of their attractive appearance when in flower. Therefore, parents with very young children need to be aware of the hazard from ingesting laburnum seeds and supervise their children accordingly or keep them away from the areas beneath the trees when the seed pods are present. Where appropriate supervision or exclusion cannot be guaranteed, e.g. in play areas for children of nursery age or with special needs, it would be prudent not to have any laburnum trees in the vicinity.
It's also curious to note that some or more likely many substances and plants, etc. with highly adverse characteristics can be very useful because of their adverse content or characteristics, e.g. digitalis derived from foxgloves (pretty looking weeds) has long been used and continues to be used in medicine for heart conditions. Also the jequirity bean is reported to have various medicinal uses. Hopefully appropriate precautions are provided and followed wherever anyone works to process such plants or parts of them for medicinal use, etc.
p.s. Perhaps it's just my slightly wacky imagination, but the name "Jequirity" sounds like that of a new trendy game or gadget!
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Rank: Forum user
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Came to me from Local Government Assoc. See:
http://www.sccheadquarte...in%20Jan%2012%20-%20.pdf
Repport was given that children were buying them at the Eden Project. All our schools notified. If that series, and I'm not doubting it, then I'm suprised its not made the tele'.
ps How many of you send your ankle snappers of to schools surrounded by cyanide laden Laurals?
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Rank: Forum user
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Please forgive the typos - it's been a long day.
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Rank: Super forum user
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If you look hard enough you can find all sorts of things. Working with toxicologists is a bit of a pain. One of ours recently noticed that the mushrooms growing next to our onsite crèche were actually death caps (30 g of which is sufficient to kill an adult).
Looks like we’re are going to have to tarmac over the area in question.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Rank: Super forum user 
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I bet these 34 national outlets are just the sort of enterprising people "our Dave" feels are being needlessly swamped with red tape.
Fortunately Dave & Nick will clamp down on the frequency of inspections of such retailers and allow them to stock more similar products, unfettered.
By the way, last week I was on holiday in Madiera and advised an elderly couple is wasn't a very good idea (and why) to collect the seeds of a Castor Oil plant growing on some wasteland.
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