The Nuclear Scout

"The Nuclear Scout – The teenager who built a nuclear reactor in his shed" recounts the terrifying true story of David Hahn. In the mid-1990s, this Michigan teenager, obsessed with chemistry and earning his Boy Scout merit badge, decided to build a breeder reactor in his mother's potting shed. He didn't have a lab; he had household items. Science writer David Core details how Hahn sourced radioactive materials: americium from smoke detectors, thorium from camping lantern mantles, and radium from antique clocks. He posed as a physics teacher to get advice from government agencies. He actually succeeded in creating a neutron source that irradiated his neighborhood, leading to a massive EPA Superfund cleanup. "The Nuclear Scout" is a story of unguided potential. It illustrates the thin line between genius and madness, showing what happens when intelligence and determination are applied without safety, ethics, or adult supervision.