An Australian man is potentially facing a ten-year prison sentence after arranging for radioactive material to be sent to his parent’s suburban residence.
Everyone has unique interests, right? Some individuals are passionate about collecting Pokémon cards, others aspire to participate in all the World Major Marathons, and some of us aren’t shy about investing in our sneaker collections.
For Emmanuel Lidden, a 24-year-old from Sydney, Australia, described as a ‘science nerd’, his aspiration was to acquire every element on the periodic table.
In case high school chemistry lessons are a distant memory, the periodic table currently lists 118 known elements.
These include elements like aluminum, polonium, gold, hydrogen, and thulium.
While many of these elements are relatively safe, others are so hazardous that owning them is illegal—a lesson Lidden learned the hard way.
In August 2023, he tried to import plutonium samples from a US-based science website to his parent’s home in Sydney’s suburbs.
Plutonium, derived from uranium in nuclear reactors, is highly radioactive and dangerous to handle. If inhaled or ingested, it can damage cells and potentially cause cancer or other health issues, making it far from suitable for casual handling.
On his mission to complete his periodic table collection, Lidden ordered plutonium online, triggering a significant hazmat response. Australian Border Force (ABF) officials, firefighters, police, and paramedics all responded to the Lidden residence.
In addition to the radioactive materials, authorities also discovered depleted uranium and mercury among Lidden’s possessions.
Lidden, who also had interests in collecting stamps, banknotes, and coins, admitted to violating Australia’s Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act by purchasing these elements, potentially facing up to ten years in prison.
Despite his guilty plea, Lidden’s defense attorney argued in court last week that his client was merely an ‘innocent collector’ with no ‘sinister intent’ behind the importation of plutonium.
“These offenses were committed out of pure naivety,” John Sutton explained to Sydney’s Downing Centre district court on Friday (March 21).
“It was a manifestation of self-soothing retreating into collection, it could have been anything but in this case he latched on to the collection of the periodic table.”
Sutton also contended that the reaction to the hazmat alert was excessive, stating: “Rather than give [Lidden] an opportunity to return the items, the kitchen sink was thrown at him, along with the utensils inside.”
However, prosecutors countered that Lidden’s activities were more than mere collecting, as gathering illegal substances ‘created a market’ for them.
According to The Guardian, as a consequence of the plutonium import, Lidden, who is scheduled to appear in court next month, has lost his job as a trainee train driver with Sydney Trains.
The court was informed that he is now working at a fast-food restaurant.