Radioactive histories Part 3 - The Radioactive Boyscott
Continuing our journey into the nuclear and radioactive history of humanity, no history of anything nuclear or radioactive would be complete without mentioning David Hahn, aka the Radioactive boy scout. Before we continue and this kind of goes without saying Hahn's story has been used as a cautionary tale in nuclear safety education, as well as a case study in the potential dangers of unregulated access to radioactive materials, so this should tell you that this story is an absolute do not try this at home kind of story.
who is David Hahn?
David Hahn, also known as the "Radioactive Boy Scout," is a former American Boy Scout who gained notoriety in the 1990s for his amateur attempts to build a nuclear reactor in his backyard. Hahn was born on October 30, 1976, in Royal Oak, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, and grew up in the nearby city of Clinton Township.
As a child, Hahn was reportedly fascinated by science and technology, and he was an active member of the Boy Scouts of America. He reportedly had a particular interest in chemistry and nuclear physics and spent much of his free time conducting experiments and reading scientific literature.
Hahn's interest in nuclear physics was reportedly sparked by a merit badge he earned in the Boy Scouts, which required him to study atomic energy and nuclear science. He reportedly became obsessed with the idea of building a nuclear reactor and began conducting research on the subject using books and other resources he found in the local library.
Despite his lack of formal education or training in nuclear physics, Hahn began to collect materials and equipment for his project, including radioactive sources such as thorium, radium, and americium, which he obtained from household items and industrial sources. He began experimenting with these materials in his backyard shed, attempting to build a functional reactor using designs he found in books and other sources.
Hahn's actions eventually attracted the attention of local authorities, who became concerned about the potential safety and radiation hazards posed by his project. Hahn was investigated and ultimately forced to abandon his project, but his story has since become a cautionary tale in nuclear safety education and a case study in the potential dangers of unregulated access to radioactive materials.
Fascination in nuclear physics
From a young age David has been fascinated in chemistry and physics, making countless experiments in his back yard, some of which would explode, one book David processed was The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments which served as a kind of how to guide.
One of the driving goals behind his eventual goal of building a breeder reactor, more on those later, was that he wanted to collect a sample of all the known elements, including alarmingly enough the radioactive ones. He started reading about the properties of radioactive elements, and subsequently was awarded his atomic energy badge by the boy Scout. This was the point at which David decided he would take his new knowledge of how a nuclear reactor worked and make something cool, a reactor. Not just any reactor though, David wasn't interested in creating a reactor which generated energy, he wanted something else, something called a breeder reactor, something that actually created more radioactive sources from the breeder material added in. He has several practical problems to overcome first though.
David gathered information on building a breeder reactor by contacting the Nuclear Regulatory Commission under aliases and cover stories. He was an avid reader and self-taught in chemical experiments. He pursued his interest in building a breeder reactor through practical research and studying at the library.
A breeder reactor
A nuclear breeder reactor is a type of nuclear reactor that is designed to produce more nuclear fuel than it consumes while generating electricity. The concept behind a breeder reactor is to create new nuclear fuel as the reactor operates.
In a breeder reactor, a non-fissile material such as uranium-238 is irradiated by neutrons, which then transform the uranium-238 into plutonium-239, a fissile material that can be used as fuel in a nuclear reactor. This process is known as "breeding" because new fuel is being created.
Breeder reactors have the potential to greatly increase the amount of available nuclear fuel and reduce the amount of nuclear waste generated. However, they also pose significant challenges in terms of safety, security, and cost. Breeder reactors can produce more radioactive waste than traditional nuclear reactors, and the technology to operate them safely and efficiently is still being developed. As a result, there are currently only a few experimental breeder reactors in operation around the world.
The key takeaway's here are significant challenges to safety, and security and that they produce more radioactive waste than traditional nuclear reactors, so with that in mind, read on.
building a reactor in his shed
David had a plan, it was quite a simple one.
1. Harvest as much nuclear material as possible (and as fissionable as possible)
2. build a reactor which irradiates some non fissile material.
3. house this reactor somewhere out the way.
David's decision to build a breeder reactor stemmed from the fact that it was easier to build than a regular reactor due to the availability of the materials. Breeder reactors use Uranium-238, which is more readily available and non-fissile, as well as thorium.
To begin his experiments, Hahn constructed a makeshift reactor using household items and a lead block. He collected thorium from lanterns, radium from clocks, tritium from gunsights, and purchased lithium for $1,000 worth of batteries and used old smoke alarms for the americium.
He used a Bunsen burner to purify the thorium ash with lithium, and then melted and further purified the thorium, mixing it with tritium, radium, and americium to create a neutron source. Hahn's plan was to focus the neutrons onto Uranium-238 and transmute it to Uranium-235, a process which would release radiation as a byproduct.
Gotten out of control
Two weeks into the experiment and already there were signs of problems, and unknown to David his breeder reactor was spreading detectable radiation several houses away. He has some fore thought however having purchased months before the experiment began, probably to verify his radioactive sources were good a Geiger counter.
David started to show concern when the radiation emitted by his reactor could be detected through concrete and from two blocks away. He decided to dismantle his little project but had a problem however, he couldn't just leave the now quite radioactive sources laying around. He loaded everything into the trunk of his car, except for the americium and thorium, intending to dispose of it in a remote location.
Involvement of the authorities.
David attempted to leave with the materials early in the morning but was reported by his neighbors to the police, who found a locked toolbox, strange gray powder, and various vials of chemicals in his trunk. When David calmly warned them that the substances were radioactive, the police became concerned and called in the bomb squad, who towed the car to the police station. Unfortunately, this caused the radiation to spread throughout the town.
The initial report by the neighbor was that they thought David was stealing tires, this is really interesting to me because if that neighbor hadn't reported David would he have successfully disposed of the stuff, and created an orphan source in the rural backend of Royal Oak?
David was questioned about the contents of his car which was searched and his radioactive materials removed,Several months later, radioactive materials were discovered in the potting shed of David's mother's house during a search. It is unclear why several months had elapsed.
To prevent the spread of radioactive waste and potential harm to local residents and ecosystems, a cleanup costing $60,000 was required for the shed where additional radioactive materials were discovered. However, this was already after around 40,000 nearby residents had been exposed to unhealthy levels of radiation due to David's experiments.
The after effects
I'd like to say this story has a happy ending, but sadly not, desperate to work in nuclear submarines David was blamed for putting the residence at risk and shunned by the towns folk. Years later having estimated he had shaved at least 5 years of his life, David jointed the Navy and served on an aircraft carrier, powered by a nuclear reactor, but was prohibited from having any involvement with it, due to the levels of exposure he had, had in early life, there were concerns over his fitness to work with reactors mentally and physically. After leaving the Navy on medical grounds Davids life took a downward spiral, he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and regularly abused drugs and alcohol. He sadly died on September 27th 2016 at age 39.