On March 30th, 2017, the streets of downtown Atlanta were closed down with police officers redirecting traffic amid “Red Mercury” investigation. This was after a man claiming to possess red mercury sourced from Africa walked into the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission facility.
In other news, three men were arrested and accused during a 2006 London Trial over the claims of trying to procure red mercury, a potentially dangerous substance that was claimed to be used to build nuclear bombs.
According to the chief judge, one of the men believed that this substance was a cure for impotence. But was that the actual reason as to why they were sourcing the raw ingredients of this substance?
Is red mercury as dangerous as it’s purported to be or it’s just a scam?
Well, let’s find out.
Red Mercury is an exceptionally precious, rare, dangerous, and exorbitantly expensive substance with properties that cannot be rivaled by any existing compound.
The substance is said to be a chemical compound known as mercuric iodide, a highly poisonous, odorless, tasteless, and water-insoluble scarlet-red powder. When subjected to about 126-degrees Celsius, the substance turns to yellow.
References to red mercury first came into light after being aired by the biggest Soviet as well as western media sources back in the 80s where it was claimed to be of great significance in the making of nuclear bombs.
ISIS, Al Qaeda, and other terrorist groups are said to have offered as much as $1 million to whoever would offer to supply them with the substance.
A kilogram of this substance was said to go as high as $1, 800, 000.
A Real Threat or a Hoax
Samuel Cohen, a nuclear physicist who recently died, said he believed red mercury was an actual threat. This is a man who took part in the making of the atomic bomb “Los Alamos” during the World War II. He also helped design a neutron bomb in 1958.
According to Cohen, red mercury could possibly be used to create a pure fusion bomb the size of a softball- a bomb capable of wiping out each single living soul in a half-mile radius.
Even with all the hype, its existence has not yet been documented.
Another nuclear physicist and a terrorism expert, Dr.Frankly Barnaby said that there was an actual substance known as red mercury.
According to Barnaby, the substance was a mixture of mercury and antimony in an exceptionally heavy compound with a reddish tint. According to the physicist, the Soviets were manufacturing it in large quantities, although it’s not known why.
During his research, he however stated that he found no evidence of the substance being used in weapons.
Vic Hogsett, an analyst, found all the rumors purporting the high potency of red mercury to be big scams.
According to the Department of Energy and International Atomic Energy Authority, nothing has been proven on whether red mercury actually exists or not.
If such a substance fell into the hands of terrorists and was capable of triggering a nuclear explosion, the threat to their entire world would be catastrophic. And the fact that it is invisible to standard detection measures makes the situation even worse.
All in all, whether it’s real or just a mere scam, the fact that its existence has not yet been documented makes things a lot more murkier for governments and the public as well.
We can only hope that the “red mercury hoax” was in the real sense created as a means to confuse dangerous terrorists and waste their time on a wild-goose chase for a non-existent substance.
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