Could Black-Market Botox Makers Supply Terrorists with Botulinum Toxin?

By Jeremy Hsu Posted 01.25.2010 at 12:05 pm 6 Comments

Botox Worries The popularity of Botox has led to a worldwide black market that could supply terrorists with botulinum toxin. Digital Vision

Black market labs that manufacture the beauty drug Botox could also provide terrorists with the deadly botulinum toxin, officials and security experts warn. U.S. scientists found that a biologist with a master's degree and $2,000 worth of equipment could easily make enough pure toxin to theoretically kill thousands of people, The Washington Post reports.

Each vial of Botox contains an incredibly tiny amount of botulinum toxin, a natural nerve agent created by Clostridium botulinum bacteria. It's such a tiny amount that terrorists would have to buy hundreds of vials at $400 each to even kill one person.

But just a speck of pure toxin, smaller than a grain of sand, can kill a 150-pound adult, and so terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and Aum Shinrikyo have played with the bioterror agent in the past. Now the worldwide popularity of Botox has cultivated a widespread network of black market suppliers who could easily provide the materials to create pure botulinum toxin to anyone willing to fork over some cash.

The Washington Post goes on to point out examples of illegal factories in Russia and China. Potent counterfeits of legally prescribed Botox have even found their way into the United States.

Now it sounds like U.S. biodefense experts and investigators have their work cut out for them, to say the least -- unless, perhaps, the beauty market can find a Botox substitute in the form of newborn foreskin.

[via The Washington Post]

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6 Comments

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Azorus

01/25/10 at 12:08 pm

The answer is they could, but we don't have to worry about it because terrorist never smile.

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Solace

01/25/10 at 3:12 pm

Once again, THANKS FOR GIVING THEM IDEAS.

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caradoc01

01/25/10 at 3:34 pm

If you think that the bad guys haven't already thought of this then you are delusional

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JamesDavis

01/26/10 at 8:22 am

Thanks genous for confirming what the terriorist always wanted to know. You probably can look forward to that in their next bomb.

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Meshca

01/26/10 at 9:42 am

I don't think it matters if they thought of it already or not.
Giving them ideas, or clearing them up, or telling them we know what they're doing (so they can hide it better) is not smart.

It's like listing the most vulnerable cities in U.S. according to their military strongholds. WHY!?

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tattoomd

05/25/10 at 6:07 pm

That's why it's very important to make sure that if you're getting Botox, that's authentic from Allergan. You can even ask to see the vial. If it's too cheap, that should raise questions.

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