The guy who risked the lives of 40,000 people building a homemade nuclear reactor

American David Hahn, 17, tried to set up a nuclear reactor in his backyard in 1995 in the United States. At the time, he used coffee filters and pickle jars to handle radioactive products, which endangered the lives of nearly 40,000 people.

Local authorities in Commerce Township, Michigan had to intervene to prevent the outcome from being tragic. The boy, who became known as the “Radioactive Scout” was fascinated by science from childhood. He started studying chemistry when he was just 10 and at 14 he even produced nitroglycerin, a highly explosive compound.

The young man’s passion made him damage his room with his experiments. As a result, his parents ordered him to move his “workshop” to the shed in the back yard. It was housed in this space that Hahn began building a home-made nuclear reactor.

For this, three accessible chemical elements were collected to carry out the plan. The young man collected thorium (taken from lanterns); radio (taken from watches); tritium (taken from night sights on weapons); and lithium (which he obtained by purchasing $1,000 worth of batteries). Plus, he had the aid of coffee filters and pickle jars to handle dangerous and potentially deadly chemicals.

With all the elements, Hahn created a rudimentary neutron source, but one that was unable to produce fissile fuel at the rate of other reactors. However, what the young man didn’t count on – or maybe he did – was that the device was already spreading detectable radiation in an area that covered several houses in the neighborhood.

Authorities found the boy and the shed

By chance, police located Hahn’s shed after they stopped the teenager’s car and he confessed to having radioactive material in the trunk of his car. The case escalated and federal authorities were called, which brought the Environmental Protection Agency to the boy’s family’s door.

Fortunately, the material was collected, disposed of and buried as low-level radioactive waste in Utah. In 2007, David Hahn was again investigated by the FBI on suspicion of attempting to build a new reactor. He at the time he was arrested for stealing smoke detectors to acquire americium, a radioactive element. In 2016, Hahn died of an overdose at the age of 39 after suffering from depression and substance abuse.

through History

The post The boy who risked the lives of 40,000 people by building a homemade nuclear reactor first appeared on Olhar Digital.

Source: Olhar Digital