Let Go of Helium Balloons Essay Example

📌Category: Science, Technology
📌Words: 693
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 17 June 2021

Balloons have been a part of history for an exceedingly long time. But what is on the inside of them is what counts: helium. Out of the entire universe, helium is the second-most abundant element, with the exception of the fact that there is a minuscule amount of it on Earth. Helium is running out, and scientists point their fingers at balloons for being a significant contributor to the problem. Without helium, people everywhere around the world would not be able to have the benefit of items such as MRIs, a variant to x-rays. Rules against helium balloons should be instituted in place due to the fact that supplies of helium are running out on Earth and the helium that is available needs to be used for more important applications; however, balloons are a whimsical addition to the life of a child. 

The first reason that helium balloons should be abolished is that there is a wide shortage of helium around the world. Mick Robson from BBC states “Prof Welton told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: ‘We're not going to run out of helium tomorrow - but on the 30 to 50 year timescale we will have serious problems” (Helium Shortage Prompts Scientist's Balloon Use Warning). Sometimes, people do not understand how valuable something is until there is none of it left. This means that the problem should be catered for before it grows bigger. People can enjoy all of the luxuries we have today and others in the future, just by banning helium balloons now. To back this up, Debra Duncan, who wrote “Balloons Pose A Risk To Wildlife & The Environment” for the Environmental Nature Center wrote, “In fact, we’re running out of easy-to-access helium quickly, because of its extensive use in unnecessary products such as balloons.” This reinforces the fact that helium continues to used every day for the purpose of entertaining children for a short amount of time when, in fact, it should be used on more important and beneficial applications instead. Helium is a rare treasure on Earth, so the time has come to treat it that way.

Secondly, helium should be used on more important purposes such as medical purposes and space exploration. For instance, Mark Hay states, “Banning balloons would also have the added benefit of reducing stress on the world’s finite helium reserves, which are needed to operate some medical devices and heavy scientific research equipment” (Make Change, Should We Ban Balloons?). Helium is found in large oil deposits deep underground when the decaying oil lets out particles that are lighter than air, which gets trapped in the cave. This means that not only is helium not an easily-accessible resource, but it is also being wasted on balloons instead of using it for more crucial purposes, such as MRIs to save lives. To build on that, Steve Gagnon wrote, “Helium gas is used to... pressurize the fuel tanks of liquid-fueled rockets” (The Element Helium, Jefferson Lab). This means that without helium, space programs such as NASA would be terminated due to the lack of resources, leaving nothing for Earth to answer and discover about the universe. Helium is an important part of this world, and too much of it is being used on a toy for a child. 

Lastly, while it is true that helium is running out, balloons are a great addition to many childhoods. To show this, Continental Sales wrote in Balloon Industry Information, “It is estimated that between 45-50 million balloons are sold in California each year.” The California population peaks at about 40 million people, which means that there was more than one balloon sold for every person living there. Not to mention the fact that they are beneficial for the reason that they develop important skills in youthful children such as toddlers. PlayGroup WA states that balloons can introduce coping skills, hand-eye coordination, and language (Wonder of balloons – Toddler). When balloons are used as a learning tool, they may not seem as wasteful as many people say, even though it is simply not true. Helium balloons can be used as a great entertainer and learning tool, but nevertheless, helium should not be wasted on them.

To recap, Helium balloons should not be allowed hence helium is running out and it can be used for more important purposes; even though they are a great addition to the childhood of one. What people need to do to using helium balloons is what children do with them: let them go.

 

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