Swedish man tries to split atom in his kitchen.

[talisman]

At first I thought I was reading The Onion.

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A Swedish man who was arrested after trying to split atoms in his kitchen said Wednesday he was only doing it as a hobby.
Richard Handl told The Associated Press that he had the radioactive elements radium, americium and uranium in his apartment in southern Sweden when police showed up and arrested him on charges of unauthorized possession of nuclear material.

The 31-year-old Handl said he had tried for months to set up a nuclear reactor at home and kept a blog about his experiments, describing how he created a small meltdown on his stove.

Only later did he realize it might not be legal and sent a question to Sweden's Radiation Authority, which answered by sending the police.
"I have always been interested in physics and chemistry," Handl said, adding he just wanted to "see if it's possible to split atoms at home."

The police raid took place in late July, but police have refused to comment. If convicted, Handl could face fines or up to two years in prison.
Although he says police didn't detect dangerous levels of radiation in his apartment, he now acknowledges the project wasn't such a good idea.

"From now on, I will stick to the theory," he said.

[CJ]

At first I thought I was reading The Onion.

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A Swedish man who was arrested after trying to split atoms in his kitchen said Wednesday he was only doing it as a hobby.
Richard Handl told The Associated Press that he had the radioactive elements radium, americium and uranium in his apartment in southern Sweden when police showed up and arrested him on charges of unauthorized possession of nuclear material.

The 31-year-old Handl said he had tried for months to set up a nuclear reactor at home and kept a blog about his experiments, describing how he created a small meltdown on his stove.

Only later did he realize it might not be legal and sent a question to Sweden's Radiation Authority, which answered by sending the police.
"I have always been interested in physics and chemistry," Handl said, adding he just wanted to "see if it's possible to split atoms at home."

The police raid took place in late July, but police have refused to comment. If convicted, Handl could face fines or up to two years in prison.
Although he says police didn't detect dangerous levels of radiation in his apartment, he now acknowledges the project wasn't such a good idea.

"From now on, I will stick to the theory," he said.

lols

[Nash B.]

At first I thought I was reading The Onion.

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A Swedish man who was arrested after trying to split atoms in his kitchen said Wednesday he was only doing it as a hobby.

This cracked me up.

[CJ]

The city of Stolkholm was destroyed today by a nuclear weapon. It is believed to be terrorists. Like anyone could or would ever know if he was successful.

[talisman]

This cracked me up.

There were so many gems in that article, I had to post it.

[mstng86]

How the hell did he get radium, americium and uranium?

[CJ]

How the hell did he get radium, americium and uranium?

easy to find in small quantities in smoke detectors, other devices. Just the idea that someone could think they could do this in their kitchen is proof the guy was probably an idiot.

[Nash B.]

easy to find in small quantities in smoke detectors, other devices. Just the idea that someone could think they could do this in their kitchen is proof the guy was probably an idiot.

The fact that he'd already had a meltdown on his stove means he knows enough to make a big mess.

[kingjason]

Remember the old science kit that had uranium in it they sold back in the day? Good times.

[Venom]

You can get plutonium on every street corner since 1985.

[chuckacosta]

you can get plutonium on every street corner since 1985.

btf ftw!!!!

[jdgregory84]

easy to find in small quantities in smoke detectors, other devices. Just the idea that someone could think they could do this in their kitchen is proof the guy was probably an idiot.

Probably what a lot of people said when The Manhattan Project was in it's early stages. Will a warhead fit in a kitchen?

[CJ]

Probably what a lot of people said when The Manhattan Project was in it's early stages. Will a warhead fit in a kitchen?

The Manhattan project had an unlimited budget and the brightest minds in the world. There is no comparison. He had a small amount of radioactive material which almost certainly is above acceptable levels, put his health and his neighbors health at risk while playing around.

[Strychnine]

easy to find in small quantities in smoke detectors, other devices. Just the idea that someone could think they could do this in their kitchen is proof the guy was probably an idiot.

Go pick up a copy of The Radioactive Boyscout.

A 17 yr old kid in Michigan in the '90s built a breeder reactor in his backyard. It never reached critical mass but the backyard shed he did his final experiment in was dismanted by the NRC and hauled away in nuclear waste barrels.

blah blah background blah... The police were especially alarmed by the toolbox, which David said was radioactive and which they feared was an atomic bomb.

The discovery eventually triggered the Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan, and state officials would become involved in consultations with the EPA and NRC.

At the shed, radiological experts found an aluminum pie pan, a Pyrex cup, a milk crate and other materials strewn about, contaminated at up to 1000 times the normal levels of background radiation. Because some of this could be moved around by wind and rain, conditions at the site, according to an EPA memo, "present an imminent endangerment to public health."

After the moon-suited workers dismantled the shed, they loaded the remains into 39 sealed barrels that were trucked to the Great Salt Lake Desert. There, the remains of David's experiments were entombed with other radioactive debris

Here's a synopsis:

http://www.dangerouslaboratories.org/radscout.html

The book goes into much greater details on ihs life, why he did this, his ambition, how he got the Americum from smoke detectors, the Thorium from gas lantern mantles, how he purified these elements through other methods, the cover stories he used to get information from experts, etc.


For those unaware:
Breeder Reactor - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeder_reactor

A breeder reactor is a nuclear reactor that generates more fissile material in fuel than it consumes. These reactors were initially (1940s and 1960s) considered appealing due to their superior fuel economy: a normal reactor consumes less than 1% of the natural uranium that begins the fuel cycle, while a breeder can burn almost all of it (minus re-processing losses), also generating less waste for equal amounts of energy.[1] Breeders can be designed to use thorium, which is more abundant than uranium. Currently, there is renewed interest in both designs of breeders because of the increased price of natural uranium.

Fissile material is produced by neutron irradiation of fertile material, particularly uranium-238 and thorium-232. This happens to some extent in most reactors. Towards the end of its life, a uranium (not a mixed oxide fuel or MOX, just uranium) pressurized water reactor fuel element is producing more power from bred plutonium than from the remaining uranium-235. In a breeder reactor, fertile materials are deliberately provided, in the fuel and/or a breeder blanket surrounding the core. Historically, a machine specifically designed to create more fuel than it consumes is called a breeder.

[CJ]

I've actually read it, which is why I'm familiar with how he obtained the materials and also the inevitable radiative pollution that resulted.

Go pick up a copy of The Radioactive Boyscout.

A 17 yr old kid in Michigan in the '90s built a breeder reactor in his backyard. It never reached critical mass but the backyard shed he did his final experiment in was dismanted by the NRC and hauled away in nuclear waste barrels.





Here's a synopsis:u

http://www.dangerouslaboratories.org/radscout.html

The book goes into much greater details on ihs life, why he did this, his ambition, how he got the Americum from smoke detectors, the Thorium from gas lantern mantles, how he purified these elements through other methods, the cover stories he used to get information from experts, etc.


For those unaware:
Breeder Reactor - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeder_reactor