Idiot tries nuclear fission in the kitchen

[sjastro]

It's only "a hobby".

Amateur scientist caught trying to split atoms in his kitchen
August 4, 2011 - 7:40AM

'Just a hobby' ... Police raided the property after a small meltdown on Handl's stove.

A Swedish man who was arrested after trying to split atoms in his kitchen says he was only doing it as a hobby.

Richard Handl said 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 unauthorised 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 realise 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

Regards

Steven

[kitsuna (Adam)]

I really hope that's a work of fiction.

cuz if it's not, it's both hilarious and horrifying.

Hilarious for obvious reasons, and horrifying because I'd really REALLY like to believe it isn't easy for some putz off the street to get a hold of that kind of nuclear material.

Heavens forbid it got into the hands of people more malicious and marginally cleverer....

[xelasnave]

I find that funny and scarey at the same time.
alex

[M_Lewis (Mark)]

hahaha - priceless.

Well closer to home, yahoo serious did split the beer atom to give us bubbles!

[renormalised (Carl)]

"It's only a hobby!!!......".....next minute, there's a mushroom cloud rising above the remains of 10 city blocks around where his house existed

[AstralTraveller (David)]

For those who find stamp collecting a little tame.......

[bojan]

Guys,
do you realise that in Europe now it's so called "The Sour Cucumber Season"?
Meaning: it is Summer, it is hot and there are no news... so, media must invent something to write about...

[TrevorW]

I remember as a kid being able to buy from Selby's all the stuff I needed to make an assortment of bombs including Nitro the formula's and combinations where researchable and after a few attempts getting the right combination my nerdy friend and I managed to make some quite volatile explosives

the fun has now been taken out of life

[sally1jack (Phil)]

Originally Posted by TrevorW

I remember as a kid being able to buy from Selby's all the stuff I needed to make an assortment of bombs including Nitro the formula's and combinations where researchable and after a few attempts getting the right combination my nerdy friend and I managed to make some quite volatile explosives

the fun has now been taken out of life

Not for this guy apparently,BECAUSE HE IS MAKING A NUCLEAR REACTOR IN HIS KITHCEN or am i just boring
phil

[TrevorW]

Curiosity makes good science, says Professor Barnhardt in The Day the Earth Stood Still. (Paraphrased.) But foolishness, ignorance and/or a lack of wisdom precede injury, illness and death from experimental boldness.

Knowledge comes with possibilities, and action based on this brings the burden of consequences. Read and learn, but cultivate wisdom along with an understanding of the natural world. Just because you can do something, you do not necessarily have a license to actually do that thing. History is replete with example upon example of this lesson.

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by bojan

Guys,
do you realise that in Europe now it's so called "The Sour Cucumber Season"?
Meaning: it is Summer, it is hot and there are no news... so, media must invent something to write about...

Yeah I have no problem believing that. Also Sweden is ridden with mozzies this time of the year. Big ones too! Enought to drive anybody nuts. Nuk'em all

[jenchris (Jennifer)]

Imagine if he'd succeeded to make an inexpensive power source -'build them a megawatt and they will come'.
http://www.dyesol.com/index.php?page...iveitemlimit=2
This is the company that's making the 3rd gen Solar Cells

[Zaps]

The Radioactive Boy Scout.

[tlgerdes (Trevor)]

Originally Posted by TrevorW

Just because you can do something, you do not necessarily have a license to actually do that thing.

History is replete with example upon example of this lesson.

These are usually documented on tombstones.

[blindman]

Lucky neighborhood,


they almost got FREE POWER.

[astrocookie (Molly)]

lol

[Waxing_Gibbous (Peter)]

Oh come off it you lot.
You need a critical mass as you well know!
Anyway. Here's a pictodaguerrowhatsits of Rutherfords laboratory:

http://http://www.ssplprints.com/ima...y-20th-century

Just about any kitchen is better tecked than this!
I think my LG fridge might do the job if I dismantled it.

[Steffen]

It's obviously a hoax. I don't know what they think he was splitting but there is no way he could have obtained real atoms!

Cheers
Steffen.

[Ric]

How exactly do you buy radioactive elements?

I mean it's not like you can nip down to Bunnings and buy a can of domestic strength Uranium.

[TrevorW]

Originally Posted by Ric

How exactly do you buy radioactive elements?

I mean it's not like you can nip down to Bunnings and buy a can of domestic strength Uranium.

You can't, obviously this must be a hoax,

Uranium is a metallic chemical element which is classified among the actinides on the periodic table of elements. It is perhaps most famous as the source of fuel for nuclear weapons and power plants, but it has a range of uses as well. Deposits of uranium have been found in several regions of the world, and the element is fairly abundant in nature, keeping prices relatively low under normal conditions.



Because this element is toxic and radoactive and because it has potentially very dangerous uses, access to the world's supply of uranium is tightly restricted and only avaibale through licensed dealers.


When uranium is isolated from the metal ores it occurs in, it is a silvery white, very heavy metal which is extremely reactive and a little bit softer than steel. Because uranium is so reactive, it quickly forms a thick gray to black tarnish when exposed to air. There are 14 known isotopes of uranium, and the element also appears in a number of chemical compounds, some of which have industrial uses. You can find uranium on the periodic table of elements by looking for the “U” symbol, or atomic number 92.


This element's reactivity makes it ideally suited to making fuel for nuclear power plants, reactors which power submarines, and of course nuclear weapons.



Several militaries also use a form of uranium in high density penetrating rounds; this usage has been subject to controversy, as such rounds can potentially present a health risk if they are not properly disposed of.


Because uranium is toxic, it needs to be handled very carefully. It can cause severe organ damage, and uranium dust can irritate mucus membranes such as those found in the lungs. The radioactivity of the metal is also a health risk, as is the explosiveness of uranium dust. Most people who work around uranium are trained to use basic safety precautions to keep their work safe.

Americium is a highly radioactive element.

Radium is over one million times more radioactive than the same mass of uranium.