Correction: This blog post originally stated that Kodak's nuclear device was a nuclear reactor as was widely reported. This can be misleading. The device increased the output of neutrons from a radioactive source, but there was not enough material to initiate a chain reaction. The device was used in a very similar way to many research reactors found on university campuses. The post has been edited to reflect this.
This week, the Internet has been buzzing with news that Kodak had a nuclear facility housed in a basement at its Rochester, NY industrial park for over thirty years. Until 2007, Kodak used the device to check for impurities in samples, but the device wasn't widely known until the local Democrat and Chronicle newspaper
ran an article late last week. Many have questioned why the company known for its photography products would need a nuclear device, and some alarmist articles have surfaced.
Gizmodo, for instance, began their article with extreme hyperbole while noting Kodak's recent bankruptcy:
"Kodak may be going under, but apparently they could have started their own nuclear war if they wanted, just six years ago."
Actually, Kodak didn't even have enough nuclear fuel to develop a single warhead. Refrigerator-sized nuclear devices like the one found in Kodak's basement have key differences with nuclear reactors found at power plants, and Kodak certainly couldn't have ignited World War III alone. In fact, the device is very similar to research reactors that can be found on several university campuses, and they are operated under strict guidelines without any nefarious intentions.
Read the rest of the post . . .