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Kodak Had a Semi-Secret Nuclear Reactor at Its Headquarters for Nearly Three Decades

Kodak Headquarters Once Housed Weapons Grade Uranium

Kodak's CFX (Photo: Nuclear Regulatory Commission via Democrat and Chronicle)

Kodak is making the news for more than just filing for bankruptcy recently. It was brought to the attention of many that up until about six years ago the Rochester, N.Y., headquarters of the company wasn’t just home to making film: it had a nuclear reactor with more than three pounds of highly enriched uranium as well.

The californium neutron flux multiplier (CFX) was in use from the mid-1970s through 2006, according to the Democrat and Chronicle, with the primary purpose of testing imaging techniques — not as a power plant. The semi-secret reactor was never public safety risk Eastman Kodak Co. officials said, but still many are surprised to learn it exists:

“It was a known entity, but it was not well-publicized,” said Albert Filo, a former Kodak research scientists who worked with the device for nearly 20 years.

Company spokesman Christopher Veronda said he could find no record that Kodak ever made a public announcement of the facility. He also wasn’t sure whether the company had ever notified local police, fire or hazardous-materials officials.

Current city of Rochester officials, whose personnel might have been summoned to Building 82 had an untoward incident occurred, said they were in the dark. Monroe County officials did not provide comment despite several requests.

[...]

Nuclear non-proliferation experts express surprise that an industrial manufacturer like Eastman Kodak had had weapons-grade uranium, especially in a post-9/11 world.

“I’ve never heard of it at Kodak,” said Miles Pomper, senior research associate at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Washington. “It’s such an odd situation because private companies just don’t have this material.”

The Democrat and Chronicle points out that after 9/11 the location of radioactive material became more restricted in the United States. In 2007, the uranium was taken following the proper procedures from the 14-by-24-foot bunker and relocated to a government facility. According to the report, Kodak’s CFX seems to be one-of-a-kind in the U.S. given that it was built only for industrial research. Veronda said they weren’t pressured by the feds to turn over their small amount of weapons-grade uranium but did so voluntarily as the company “decided it was no longer required, as there were alternative and less expensive means to obtain the analytical results.”

While the reactor was still active for research, Veronda said it “presented no radiation risk to the public or employees. Radiation from the operation was not detectable outside of the facility.”

With this knowledge that is news to many, CNET ponders: “Were there other companies in the tech business that tried to get themselves a reactor but couldn’t manage it? Or might there be some other secret bunkers whose existence remains largely unknown?”

Comments (46)

  • Arshloch
    Posted on May 15, 2012 at 2:12pm

    Worry about Iran, not Kodak.

    Report Post » Arshloch  
  • searching for the Truth
    Posted on May 15, 2012 at 1:04pm

    George Eastman – a man that truly deserves tribute – sad ending though – wish I could have told him about the Lord.

    Report Post »  
  • Talent-Keyhole
    Posted on May 15, 2012 at 12:48pm

    But you’ve deprived the NIMBYs from whining and shrieking. Had they known about the presence of this thing right in their back yard it would have provided meaning and purpose for their otherwise useless lives. But now, some unfeeling corporate giant has deprived them of this by removing that threat. These faceless corporations, with no motivation other than profit have taken something that we hold precious away from us. Cue the NIMBY Whine!

    Report Post »  
  • blazingaway
    Posted on May 15, 2012 at 12:19pm

    All the Muslims needed to do was to buy Kodak and they would have had their nuclear material

    Report Post » blazingaway  
  • DarthMims
    Posted on May 15, 2012 at 9:49am

    Actually the reason they had a nuclear reactor was to generate the 1.21 gigawatts needed for the flux-capacitor. Who knew Kodak was working on time travel?

    Report Post » DarthMims  
  • 1WhoQuestions
    Posted on May 15, 2012 at 8:18am

    One must wonder why as the uranium they had was weapons grade. Not a good thing, IMO. Makes you wonder what other companies may have the same thing.

    Report Post »  
    • muffythetuffy
      Posted on May 15, 2012 at 9:53am

      Democrats lying again.

      Its doubtful that there would be any U235 weapons grade uranium. Even if there were it would have to be extracted from the U238 and that is very expensive and still there would not be enough U235 to do anything. The reactor was probably used to perform crystal back scatter measurements to predict defect density of crystals used to make integrated circuits. Several private research labs around the nation use to have these small reactors.

      Report Post »  
    • idarusskie
      Posted on May 16, 2012 at 1:47am

      I would guess its a neutron source for neutron radiography. They did say imaging technology.

      Report Post »  
  • teddrunk
    Posted on May 15, 2012 at 7:26am

    Strange that a severely leftist company like Kodak would be so environmentally wreckless as to even own or run anything nuclear.

    Report Post »  
    • creddygb
      Posted on May 15, 2012 at 9:05am

      Teddrunk – C’mon – Where did you get “extremely leftist?” Having worked there, I would call it about as neutral a company as you could find – some policies left-leaning (recognition of equal rights for same sex unions etc.), some right-leaning (conservative, non-political policies). At least be accurate.

      Report Post » creddygb  
  • EP46
    Posted on May 15, 2012 at 6:58am

    For anyone who is interested…this is the simple way to understand uranium. Take a cup of black coffee containing a teaspoon of sugar. This is normal uranium –U238…which is dug out of the earth. Separate out the sugar…and this is enriched uranium…U235….what is left in the cup is depleted uranium. It takes a vast quantity of U238 to produce a small amount of U235 and leaves a large amount of depleted uranium. Only U235 can be used to cause a chain reaction resulting in nuclear power to be used commercially or in weapons.

    Report Post »  
  • capitalismrocks
    Posted on May 15, 2012 at 1:33am

    Pretty cool…. I wonder if if had been used for power, what it would’ve put out, amazing how well kept a secret that was, good to know that this country still has some good secrets to keep.

    Report Post » capitalismrocks  
  • Pontiac
    Posted on May 14, 2012 at 11:39pm

    “with the primary purpose of testing imaging techniques — not as a power plant.”
    Not as a power plant…and and now they’re bankrupt… Bet they’re wishing they had.

    Report Post » Pontiac  
    • KeystoneState
      Posted on May 14, 2012 at 11:58pm

      I trust Kodak more than the Iranians, Pakistanias, North Koreans, or any of the others, and at least as much as the current administration who’s hellbent on dismantling our own.

      Report Post » KeystoneState  
    • creddygb
      Posted on May 15, 2012 at 9:07am

      Funny thing is, Kodak is completely self-sufficient – there own power plant (coal-based), water supply and filtration (a 5-million gallon reservoir under some of the parking lots), waste treatment, fire company, police force, etc.

      Report Post » creddygb  
  • Salamander
    Posted on May 14, 2012 at 11:04pm

    I can’t say where, but you’d be amazed where there are nuclear reactors–places you’d never imagine! Right under your feet! And, you should know that there are nuclear reactors created by Mother Nature, places that went critical all on their own! There may still be a few of them around!

    Report Post »  
    • Chuck Stein
      Posted on May 15, 2012 at 2:02am

      I know that there is evidence of a uranium ore deposit in the Congo that went critical (MANY millions of years ago) when water got into the ore, providing a moderator. It couldn’t happen today, though, because the decay of U-235 has “un-enriched” natural uranium.

      Report Post »  
  • possom
    Posted on May 14, 2012 at 9:41pm

    Could it generate electric? If so, where can I get one?

    Report Post » possom  
    • corbecket
      Posted on May 15, 2012 at 12:06am

      Toshiba is planning on selling their 4S model commercially. I’m not sure where their plans stand after the earthquake though. Google the Toshiba 4S and see what you come up with. Seems like I heard costs of 5 cents/kwh, at one time.

      Report Post » corbecket  
    • G-WHIZ
      Posted on May 15, 2012 at 11:44am

      Even a very-small version to power a CHEBBY-VOLT would still make the [volt] a way too heavy car for it’s size…and you could get a [radiation-tan] while you drive! You could have a huge 1/2-gal of milk in the trunk, too(soooo much room!). You could do your TSA-SCAN while you drive, also.

      Report Post »  
  • Suquamish
    Posted on May 14, 2012 at 9:28pm

    Blaze, can you please do something besides repeat the tripe you read in the driveby media? It’s a neutron source, not a nuclear reactor. Your toaster is more of a nuclear reactor than that thing is. It does not produce power. It was used for testing the quality of materials that were used in film making. The fact that it has a small amount of “weapons grade” plutonium is immaterial. Before you report on something how about determining if what you are saying is accurate and relevant?

    Report Post »  
    • SgtB
      Posted on May 14, 2012 at 10:15pm

      +1 on that sentiment

      Report Post » SgtB  
    • HiredMind Blog
      Posted on May 14, 2012 at 10:50pm

      @Suquamish: My toaster isn’t a neutron source. And if yours is, you might have a problem. In any case, yes, this isn’t as dramatic a story as some would have you believe, but I didn’t see TheBlaze being overly-dramatic, I just saw you doing that. Also – it is, in fact, a nuclear reactor. Anything that is designed to produce and sustain a nuclear reaction is a nuclear reactor. It need not produce power to be labeled as such.

      Report Post »  
    • Suquamish
      Posted on May 15, 2012 at 1:08am

      OK HIREDMIND BLOG. You tell us how it accomplishes either of those things. The article has almost no information in it. Yet you claim that it “produces and sustains a nuclear reaction”. Is that printed in invisible ink someplace? I don’t see those words anyplace in the article. The pictures do not show a nuclear reactor. If you want to believe go right ahead.

      Report Post »  
    • friedclouds
      Posted on May 15, 2012 at 1:22am

      Thank you Suquamish, for clarifying that.

      Report Post »  
  • FuturePresident
    Posted on May 14, 2012 at 9:03pm

    Why are we always asking the wrong quetions here on the blaze. Or ignoring the hard truths. I would like to know where the nuclear grade material came from, who made it, who procured it, and why is this being treated so no shallot. If Kodak has had this who else does? Don‘t tell me this is a one time deal because it’s probably not. What if Blackwater (know as Xe these days) had weapons grade material? Or what if someone who knew about this wanted to use to to make a bomb. This is wrong, companies shouldn’t be in possession of nuclear grade material at all, it’s a huge liability for our whole country. Ask yourself this, if you had a ‘small amount’ of nuclear grade material would the Govt just come and ASK for it with no punishment? No, you’d probably be arrested beaten and treated like a terrorist. Stop allowing companies more rights then INDIVIDUALS.

    Report Post » FuturePresident  
    • ozz
      Posted on May 14, 2012 at 9:17pm

      Your dead on.

      Report Post » ozz  
    • RHO1953
      Posted on May 14, 2012 at 9:28pm

      Really? Don’t do much rational thinking, do you? All kinds of companies use nuclear materials. They are used extensively in medicine. They are used to treat cancer, for diagnostics. They are used commercially for many things. That was one of the dumbest things I have ever read. You surely must be a liberal. Paste this link and learn something. http://www.nrc.gov/materials/medical.html

      Report Post »  
    • SgtB
      Posted on May 14, 2012 at 10:20pm

      You used to be able to buy radioactive materials over the counter at any store across the nation. You just had to know how to refine it. In fact, lantern mantles used to be made almost entirely out of thorium. Thorium by itself is extremely stable, but if you put a radiation source next to it, such as a small amount of uranium or radium (used all over the place to make glow in the dark minute and hour hands on watches or clocks) then you can start a nuclear reaction and the thorium converts into a fissionable atom which can then make alot of power. We are talking 2 grams of thorium could power your home for a year, alot of power.

      Please stop sounding so much like a scared child when it comes to things you have no apparent knowledge of.

      Report Post » SgtB  
    • friedclouds
      Posted on May 15, 2012 at 1:26am

      Sounds like the NRC knew, and was controlling this…not an issue

      Report Post »  
  • Dr Vel
    Posted on May 14, 2012 at 8:52pm

    That explains my foggy pictures back in the day.

    Report Post »  
  • Rijjka
    Posted on May 14, 2012 at 8:37pm

    I find this incredibly cool. Honestly I was hoping it was being used for power a-la Tony Stark and his tower in the Avengers. Then I’d be nerding out something fierce. But alas, it’s not. A research reactor is still pretty cool though.

    Report Post »  
  • Therightsofbilly
    Posted on May 14, 2012 at 8:34pm

    Film at 11:00

    Report Post » Therightsofbilly  
    • The-Monk
      Posted on May 14, 2012 at 9:19pm

      Hi Billy,

      Want to hear a funny but, true “film” story?

      Report Post » The-Monk  
    • Therightsofbilly
      Posted on May 14, 2012 at 10:41pm

      Sure MONK.

      Always game for a laugh.

      Report Post » Therightsofbilly  
    • The-Monk
      Posted on May 14, 2012 at 11:57pm

      Hi Billy,

      I’ll type it up and post it to you on another Blaze article. You’ll understand why later.

      Just remember this article and “Film at 11:00″. : )

      Report Post » The-Monk  
  • Rayblue
    Posted on May 14, 2012 at 8:32pm

    This stuff is all around. I was regularly exposed to decayed radioactive material for many years. It’s why my epidermis has that soft blue glow and I can call people without using a phone.

    Report Post » Rayblue  
  • DEFCON4
    Posted on May 14, 2012 at 8:19pm

    Go Nukes !

    Report Post » DEFCON4  
  • UpstateChris
    Posted on May 14, 2012 at 8:17pm

    I second Psychosis comment. Ex-Father-In-Law did contract work there for 2 decades and told me about this – as public knowledge, not as a hush-hush thing. Not sure why it is news all of a sudden. Remember Kodak had its own SkunkWorks program and did tons of secret research for the government.

    Report Post »  
  • doyley64
    Posted on May 14, 2012 at 8:17pm

    Wow, imagine that, a non government entity has nuclear material and the government didn’t have to over see their every move. Who da thunk it?
    This will make the green crowd loose lots of sleep for a many countless nights. And that makes me smile : )

    Report Post »  
  • lukerw
    Posted on May 14, 2012 at 8:08pm

    Cool!

    Report Post » lukerw  
  • Psychosis
    Posted on May 14, 2012 at 8:05pm

    i lived in rochester for about ten years when my dad worked for kodak there

    this was common knowledge at that time ( mid to late 80′s)

    Report Post » Psychosis  

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