Boing Boing

Boing Boing

Australian collector faces 10 years in prison for ordering plutonium sample from U.S. website

Ellsworth Toohey
Mar 26, 2025
∙ Paid

View of a worker holding a plutonium 'button', (9/19/73) Public Domain

A Sydney man's quest to collect every element on the periodic table went wrong when he ordered plutonium samples online, triggering a major hazmat incident and potential jail time.

Emmanuel Lidden, 24, now faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to breaching Australia's nu…

User's avatar

Continue reading this post for free, courtesy of Boing Boing.

Or purchase a paid subscription.
Ellsworth Toohey's avatar
A guest post by
Ellsworth Toohey
Contributor to Boing Boing
Subscribe to Ellsworth
© 2026 Happy Mutants LLC · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture