Richard Handl (born May 23, 1980) is a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
man who experimented with
tritium
Tritium ( or , ) or hydrogen-3 (symbol T or H) is a rare and radioactive isotope of hydrogen with half-life about 12 years. The nucleus of tritium (t, sometimes called a ''triton'') contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus o ...
,
americium
Americium is a synthetic radioactive chemical element with the symbol Am and atomic number 95. It is a transuranic member of the actinide series, in the periodic table located under the lanthanide element europium, and thus by analogy was na ...
,
aluminium
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
,
beryllium
Beryllium is a chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a steel-gray, strong, lightweight and brittle alkaline earth metal. It is a divalent element that occurs naturally only in combination with other elements to form mi ...
,
thorium
Thorium is a weakly radioactive metallic chemical element with the symbol Th and atomic number 90. Thorium is silvery and tarnishes black when it is exposed to air, forming thorium dioxide; it is moderately soft and malleable and has a high me ...
,
radium
Radium is a chemical element with the symbol Ra and atomic number 88. It is the sixth element in group 2 of the periodic table, also known as the alkaline earth metals. Pure radium is silvery-white, but it readily reacts with nitrogen (rather t ...
, and
uranium
Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...
, with the intention to create a nuclear reaction. He acquired most of the radioactive materials from foreign companies, while assembling a collection of periodic elements.
For six months in 2011, he allegedly attempted to build a
breeder reactor
A breeder reactor is a nuclear reactor that generates more fissile material than it consumes. Breeder reactors achieve this because their neutron economy is high enough to create more fissile fuel than they use, by irradiation of a fertile mate ...
in his apartment in
Ängelholm
Ängelholm is a locality and the seat of Ängelholm Municipality in Skåne, Sweden with 39,612 inhabitants in 2010.
History
The old settlement ''Rynestad'' was mentioned around the year 1600.
The city was founded in 1516 as Engelholm by King Chri ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
.
[
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:''see alternate source''
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Background
Handl became unemployed after working in a factory for four years,
[
][
]
and decided to start a collection of the elements in the periodic table.
Out of curiosity Handl began experimenting with the elements in his collection, to see if he could create a nuclear reaction.
[
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Handl's experiments included the acquisition of fissile material from outside the country,
[
]
a radiator suitable for
transmutation, and instruments to measure the reaction, including a
Geiger counter
A Geiger counter (also known as a Geiger–Müller counter) is an electronic instrument used for detecting and measuring ionizing radiation. It is widely used in applications such as radiation dosimetry, radiological protection, experimental ph ...
.
[
]
He spent about 5,000~6,000
kronor in materials and equipment.
[
]
One stage of the process involved cooking americium, radium, and beryllium in on a
stove
A stove or range is a device that burns fuel or uses electricity to generate heat inside or on top of the apparatus, to be used for general warming or cooking. It has evolved highly over time, with cast-iron and induction versions being develope ...
, in order to more easily mix the ingredients; doing so resulted in an explosion.
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]
Handl kept a blog called "Richard's Reactor" in which he documented the progress of the reactor.
[
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Legal repercussions
Handl was detained by the police on 22 July 2011, after having contacted the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority
The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority ( sv, Strålsäkerhetsmyndigheten) is the Swedish government authority responsible for radiation protection. It sorts under the Ministry of the Environment.
It was created on 1 July 2008 with the merging o ...
(SSM) to inquire as to whether his project was legal or not.[
][
]
His apartment was searched, and the radioactive materials as well as his computer were taken by the police.[
He was released,][
]
then convicted in July 2014 on the violation of the ''Radiation Safety Act'', and the violation of Swedish Environmental Code. He was fined 13,600 kronor.[
]
See also
* David Hahn
David Charles Hahn (October 30, 1976 – September 27, 2016), sometimes called the "Radioactive Boy Scout" or the "Nuclear Boy Scout", was an American nuclear radiation enthusiast who built a homemade neutron source at the age of seventeen.
A ...
* Taylor Wilson
Taylor Wilson (born May 7, 1994) is an American nuclear physicist and science advocate. Wilson achieved controlled nuclear fusion in 2008 when he was 14 years old. He has designed a compact radiation detector to enhance airport security. Wilson ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Handl, Richard
Swedish criminals
Nuclear accidents and incidents
Place of birth missing (living people)
Living people
1980 births
Radioactively contaminated areas