http://gizmodo.com/5827565/these-men-were-caught-building-homemade-nuclear-reactors
By Kelly Hodgkins Aug 3, 2011 10:45 PM
8,215 14
science
These Men Were Caught Building Homemade Nuclear Reactors
Richard Handl, was arrested by the Swedish police for the possession of nuclear material including radium, americium, and uranium. The inquisitive man was creating a nuclear reactor to see if it's possible to split atoms at home." Crazy, but true.
Handl isn't the first man to be arrested with the early workings of a homemade nuclear reactor on his property. Back in 1994, 17-year-old David Hahn, aka the "Radioactive Boy Scout", tried to create a functioning reactor in a backyard shed at his house in Michigan.
Hahn collected reactor components from everyday household items including americium from smoke detectors and radium from clocks. He even duped professors and adult scientists into thinking he was their colleague instead of a high-school student.
His reaction chamber was a large bored-out piece of lead where he conducted his experiments. The reaction never reached critical mass but it did produce dangerous levels of radiation. His radioactive backyard lab was discovered after a chance encounter with police. The shed and surrounding property was declared a Superfund site and cost $60,000 to clean up.
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Handl was much less sophisticated than Hahn. The Swiss man may have been inspired by Hahn, but his work area was his kitchen and his first reaction vessel was a pot. He started off by dissolving radium in 96% sulphuric acid, a procedure that went horribly awry. Wondering if what he was doing was wrong, Handl sent a letter to the Swiss Radiation Authority which responded with a police raid. After the incident, Handl claims he's done with experiments and will stick with theory instead. [HD.se and Harpers and AP and Mark Foreman]
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20087606-1/swede-busted-for-home-brew-nuclear-reactor/
August 3, 2011 4:44 PM PDT
Swede busted for home-brew nuclear reactor
by Christopher MacManus
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Think twice if you ever see this sign on a stranger's door.
(Credit: CC Stephen Korecky/Flickr)
Some people like to tend to their garden, play video games, or tackle woodworking projects as a pastime. A 31-year-old Swedish man, according to the Associated Press, had a rather unusual hobby. Richard Handl was working on a homemade nuclear reactor.
In Angelholm, a municipality in southwest Sweden with a long sandy beach right outside of the main town, Handl was busy experimenting in his kitchen with radioactive elements radium, americium, and uranium. He opened up fire alarms, which contain small amounts of americium and ordered other elements from companies overseas, according to Swedish news site The Local.
His work in progress, while not fully functional, was assembled with 6,000 kroner ($950) of materials and equipment. What was the goal, though?
This appears to be a tale of a fellow reminiscent of Doc Brown from "Back to the Future." Both come off as eccentric men bending the law to satisfy a lust for science. Handl figured he should contact the Swedish Radiation Authority to ensure that what he was attempting was legal and safe. The company calmly responded by saying someone would stop by to measure the levels of radiation.
It wasn't long before the police arrived and took the mad scientist in for questioning.
Handl had nothing to hide, though, and told the authorities everything. He explained to the police he's been obsessed with nuclear physics since he was a teenager and his ambitions were innocent. They later released him without charges, but confiscated everything nuclear.
Speaking with local paper Helsingborgs Dagblad, Handl said if he had succeeded in making the reactor, it would be difficult to generate power due to the lack of a turbine and generator. Now, with everything gone, he told the paper, it was best to keep any future atomic endeavors strictly "theoretical."
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By Kelly Hodgkins Aug 3, 2011 10:45 PM
8,215 14
science
These Men Were Caught Building Homemade Nuclear Reactors
Richard Handl, was arrested by the Swedish police for the possession of nuclear material including radium, americium, and uranium. The inquisitive man was creating a nuclear reactor to see if it's possible to split atoms at home." Crazy, but true.
Handl isn't the first man to be arrested with the early workings of a homemade nuclear reactor on his property. Back in 1994, 17-year-old David Hahn, aka the "Radioactive Boy Scout", tried to create a functioning reactor in a backyard shed at his house in Michigan.
Hahn collected reactor components from everyday household items including americium from smoke detectors and radium from clocks. He even duped professors and adult scientists into thinking he was their colleague instead of a high-school student.
His reaction chamber was a large bored-out piece of lead where he conducted his experiments. The reaction never reached critical mass but it did produce dangerous levels of radiation. His radioactive backyard lab was discovered after a chance encounter with police. The shed and surrounding property was declared a Superfund site and cost $60,000 to clean up.
Full size
Handl was much less sophisticated than Hahn. The Swiss man may have been inspired by Hahn, but his work area was his kitchen and his first reaction vessel was a pot. He started off by dissolving radium in 96% sulphuric acid, a procedure that went horribly awry. Wondering if what he was doing was wrong, Handl sent a letter to the Swiss Radiation Authority which responded with a police raid. After the incident, Handl claims he's done with experiments and will stick with theory instead. [HD.se and Harpers and AP and Mark Foreman]
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20087606-1/swede-busted-for-home-brew-nuclear-reactor/
August 3, 2011 4:44 PM PDT
Swede busted for home-brew nuclear reactor
by Christopher MacManus
Share
1 comment
Think twice if you ever see this sign on a stranger's door.
(Credit: CC Stephen Korecky/Flickr)
Some people like to tend to their garden, play video games, or tackle woodworking projects as a pastime. A 31-year-old Swedish man, according to the Associated Press, had a rather unusual hobby. Richard Handl was working on a homemade nuclear reactor.
In Angelholm, a municipality in southwest Sweden with a long sandy beach right outside of the main town, Handl was busy experimenting in his kitchen with radioactive elements radium, americium, and uranium. He opened up fire alarms, which contain small amounts of americium and ordered other elements from companies overseas, according to Swedish news site The Local.
His work in progress, while not fully functional, was assembled with 6,000 kroner ($950) of materials and equipment. What was the goal, though?
This appears to be a tale of a fellow reminiscent of Doc Brown from "Back to the Future." Both come off as eccentric men bending the law to satisfy a lust for science. Handl figured he should contact the Swedish Radiation Authority to ensure that what he was attempting was legal and safe. The company calmly responded by saying someone would stop by to measure the levels of radiation.
It wasn't long before the police arrived and took the mad scientist in for questioning.
Handl had nothing to hide, though, and told the authorities everything. He explained to the police he's been obsessed with nuclear physics since he was a teenager and his ambitions were innocent. They later released him without charges, but confiscated everything nuclear.
Speaking with local paper Helsingborgs Dagblad, Handl said if he had succeeded in making the reactor, it would be difficult to generate power due to the lack of a turbine and generator. Now, with everything gone, he told the paper, it was best to keep any future atomic endeavors strictly "theoretical."
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