Helium balloons: a luxury we cannot afford

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On Earth, helium is relatively rare. In addition, it is one of the few elements that gravity does not tie down, so it escapes into space

For some scientists, a finite resource that could one day run out should not be used to inflate party balloons.

In the universe as a whole, helium is one of the most common elements: only hydrogen surpasses it in terms of abundance.

However, on Earth it is relatively rare. In addition, it is one of the few elements that gravity does not tie down, so it escapes into space.

“It is possible that if we start digging in the world's garbage Europe Cell Phone Number List dumps we could recover all the other elements that we have dispersed around the globe,” chemist Andrea Sella, from University College London (UCL), tells the BBC.

“But helium is unique. When he leaves, we lose him forever.”

Goodbye to magic

Helium has the lowest boiling point of any element, -269ºC, just a few degrees above absolute zero (-273ºC).

That characteristic is of fundamental importance for the superconducting magnets used in MRI or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanners, which must be subjected to very low temperatures to generate the necessary magnetic fields.

“In the future we are going to think: 'I can't believe people used helium to blow up balloons, when it is such a valuable and unique element!'” predicts Cambridge University chemist Peter Wothers, who has called for Put an end to helium balloons for parties.

However, prohibiting their use in balloons would not only deprive adults and children of the magical vision of those floating colored balls, but it would put an end to that favorite tradition of inhaling helium from a balloon and then speaking in a high-pitched voice, as a result. of the rapid movement of helium atoms.



But maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing, since that grace can cause dizziness, headaches and, in rare cases, even death.

The problem is that when inhaled, helium displaces oxygen from the lungs and in doing so deprives the vital organs of this essential element.

The effect is most marked in the brain, which cannot last more than 5 to 6 seconds before the person loses consciousness. Hence the danger of suffocation, particularly for small children.

From strategic reserve to business

The gas, which is formed by the decay of radioactive rocks in the Earth's crust, accumulates in natural gas reservoirs and is collected as a byproduct of the gas industry.

The United States is currently the world's largest supplier, with most of it stored near Amarillo, Texas, in the National Helium Reserve, which alone represents 35% of the world's current supply.

In 1925 it was established as a strategic reserve to supply gas to US aircraft, and after World War II it provided coolant for missiles and rockets for the military and NASA.

But since the mid-1990s, thanks to growing civilian demand for helium in semiconductor manufacturing and MRI scanners, among other things, the U.S. has been recouping the cost of storing the gas by selling it little at little on the open market.