Collecting things is a lot of fun and can be a hobby that you can enjoy throughout your life. If you are thinking about starting a collection, however, make sure you don’t follow in the footsteps of Emmanuel Lidden.

He is 24 years old and lives in Australia. He loves science, and so decided to start collecting elements from the periodic table.

This was no problem while he was collecting things like iron, gold, silver, and oxygen. Once he got down to the radioactive elements, however, he ran into a snag.

In August of 2023, Lidden attempted to have a small sample of plutonium shipped to his parents apartment from the United States.

This triggered an investigation, which led to a hazardous materials response from the Australian Border Force (ABF), firefighters, and police. Lidden and his family were brough to the hospital to be checked out (they were fine) and the apartment was analyzed to make sure there were not elevated levels of radioactivity (there wasn’t).

The authorities did find small samples of radioactive elements including depleted uranium, mercury, and plutonium.

Needless to say, having dangerous materials like this is illegal. It led to Lidden to be the first person ever charged under Australia’s Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act ever.

This is a serious charge that comes with up to 10-years in jail.

Lidden’s attorney, John Sutton, helped him to plead guilty. The Guardian reported that he said the following in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court:

“He did not import or possess these items with any sinister intent […] these were offences committed out of pure naivety. 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.”

How did Lidden get the elements? Simple, he ordered it online. The ease at which he was able to order the plutonium, his attorney argues, shows that he had no reason to assume that he was doing anything illegal.

While the website where it was ordered now shows plutonium as ‘discontinued’ it happily shipped tiny samples of the element to many people. On their website, they say the following:

“You’ve been bitten by the bug! At some point you saw the periodic table of the elements and figured that you could take a stab at putting together one of each of those. Well, here’s your chance to complete the set. Luciteria’s main focus is on the purest, most attractive specimens so you can show off those elements with pride. We are located in Washington State USA and with few exceptions, as noted, we can ship element samples to most countries quickly and at the most reasonable rates.”

The amount of plutonium that they sent to customers, including Lidden, was tiny and generally harmless. It comes in a sealed cube to keep it safe, but even if it was removed it would be mostly harmless when it comes to its radioactivity. Luciteria says:

“Even if pried out of this cube – which we very very very much discourage you from doing – the spindle would be harmless unless swallowed. And if you were boneheaded enough to do all that, well, check in with a doctor ASAP.”

Lidden has pled guilty and is currently awaiting sentencing by the courts, which is scheduled to take place April 11, 2025.

If you want to learn more about plutonium (and why it really isn’t a good idea to keep in your house) check out this video:

It sounds like an overreaction by the authorities.

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