Castor beans, used as a primary component for making oil cake fertilizer, contains ricin. (image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Pet owners are concerned over the death of a Welsh Corgi after consuming oil-cake fertilizer.
Oil cake refers to the residue that remains after oil is extracted from a plant source. It is known to contain nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and kalium, and is used widely in gardens and on farms.
The problem, however, is that castor beans, used as a primary component for making oil cake fertilizer, contains ricin, a toxic substance that can hurt both animals and humans.
Ricin is 1,000 times more toxic than potassium cyanide. A small dose of 1 mg is enough to kill a full-grown adult.
Controversy over oil cake fertilizers was sparked after a report in 2016 that recounted the fate of a pet dog that was killed after having consumed oil cake.
Last May, a 7-year-old Welsh Corgi died two days after playing in a neighbor’s grassy yard. The veterinarian in charge suspected that the dog consumed the oil-cake fertilizer that was spread on the grass.
Manufacturers that sell these fertilizers, however, still fail to warn consumers of these risks.
Despite government instructions to include warning labels on packaging, many manufacturers either fail to include the labels or make them difficult to recognize.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
