TWO HELD FOLLOWING CYANIDE DISCOVERY FIND SAID ENOUGH TO KILL THOUSANDS.

Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Two Lancaster men were in custody on suspicion of possession of a weapon of mass destruction after authorities found two pounds of sodium cyanide in their home.

Deputies did not immediately disclose what Ronnie McKibbon, 25, and Jacob Powell, 18, were doing with the cyanide - which was enough to poison more than 6,600 people - along with liquid mercury, also a poison, and an unknown acid.

``At this point, we don't want to say too much about this for fear of jeopardizing the case,'' said Deputy Cruz Solis of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Information Bureau.

The chemicals were discovered Monday afternoon at the men's home in the 100 block of West Lancaster Boulevard, a block from Antelope Valley High School. Sheriff's deputies evacuated four nearby houses and diverted traffic while they called in hazardous-materials experts.

The poisons were in canisters in a storage area behind the house and did not appear to have spilled on or around the property, officials said. If either chemical had leaked into the ground, the groundwater and soil could be contaminated for years, officials said.

Although sheriff's investigators would not say what they believed the chemicals were to be used for, one common use for both cyanide and mercury is in processing gold during mining.

Neighbors said they barely knew the two men.

``We never heard them or nothing,'' said one neighbor, who asked that his name not be used. ``We didn't know anything about them until all the firetrucks pulled up. Now we know more than we need to, I think.''

``They were quiet but they and a few others were always in and out,'' his wife added.

Powell was already on probation for an undisclosed crime as a juvenile, officials said. The poisons were discovered when probation officers went to check on him, deputies said.

Sodium cyanide can cause immediate collapse and death in doses as small as 50 to 150 milligrams - less than 1/100th of an ounce, or the size of a small pill. Dissolved in water, it can be fatal if it just touches the skin or makes contact with the eyes, the National Academy of Sciences says.

When combined with acid, it can produce a highly toxic flammable hydrogen cyanide gas.

Mercury is extremely dangerous to the nervous system and exposure to high levels can permanently damage the brain, kidneys and a developing fetus.

Both Powell and McKibbon were being held at the Lancaster sheriff's station. Powell was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail. McKibbon was being held on $50,000 bail for the weapon of mass destruction charge, plus $10,000 bail on suspicion of possession of 28.5 grams or less of marijuana.