Nuclear fission in the kitchen

04-Aug-2011 - Sweden

With an ambitious hobby project a Swedish man drew attention on himself: He wanted to build a nuclear reactor in his kitchen. "Not to gain electricity, just for fun and to see if it's possible to split atoms at home," as he writes in his blog about his project.

The attempt to blend americium, radium and beryllium in 96% sulfuric acid on his kitchen furnace ended in a failure.

Meanwhile, the hobby nuclear physicist was briefly detained by the police and released after a hearing. The Swedish radiation Safety Authory has seized his radioactive material and the man is currently under investigation for violations against radiation safety laws.

"So, my project is canceled!" he writes in a blog post.

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