Slog
News & ArtsTuesday, September 11, 2012
Science Helium Is Running Out
Posted by Jen Graves on Tue, Sep 11, 2012 at 12:28 PM
Possibly you know this already. But look. Yesterday was Cienna's birthday. I wanted to get her a helium balloon, the more ridiculous the better. (They did not have anything absolutely awful at QFC, but they did have an American flag, so I went with that because obviously, Cienna is a great American.)
On my way to purchase this balloon, I was informed of the helium crisis. I disbelieved. The florist confirmed. "We have five to seven years left of helium, period," she said. She was unmoved.
To buy the balloon or not to buy the balloon? That was the (momentary) question. I bought the balloon.
But later, a wise man posed the question to me: How should we use our remaining years of helium? On balloons, or hilarious high-pitched talking? That, it seems to me, is the question.
This scene, from Woody Allen's Broadway Danny Rose (my favorite Woody, hands down), takes on new significance.
2
I'd vote for getting shuttles into space or MRIs... which apparently aren't funny enough to be included in your poll.
3
There are ways of producing helium.
However, my belief is this country will put it off and put it off and put it off until the very last minute... then we will spend massive amounts of time and resources to do what could have been done much more efficiently if only we were proactive.
But that's pretty much how the U.S. deals with everything. This country can't help itself but to panic and shovel out billions upon billions of dollars to throw shit together at the last minute. We pay premium prices for second-rate produce.
However, my belief is this country will put it off and put it off and put it off until the very last minute... then we will spend massive amounts of time and resources to do what could have been done much more efficiently if only we were proactive.
But that's pretty much how the U.S. deals with everything. This country can't help itself but to panic and shovel out billions upon billions of dollars to throw shit together at the last minute. We pay premium prices for second-rate produce.
4
Not only is the U.S. putting off this problem, but as I understand it, it's actively selling it's helium reserves at a reduced price due to law passed by Congress. This is a big problem as helium is used in many industrial process that make our wonderful consumer products possible.
5
Come on you guys, there's tons of helium. The sun is made of helium, right? Nothing to worry about.
8
I'm just sad that my children will never get floaty balloons for their birthday parties like I did when I was young. DAMN YOU 'BABY BOOMERS'!!!
9
@6 Because a law passed in 1996 that stipulates that the US supply of helium must be sold off by 2015. This has flooded the market and made helium too cheap to recycle.
10
In completely unrelated news, it turns out that Al Qaida has a base of operations on the sun, which we will be invading shortly...
16
@shotsix
Because the US Government has the world's largest reserve of Helium. However, congress in their wisdom required the sell off of the Helium at a set price, not market prices. Until that supply is depleted, the market can't correct. Of course by then we'll almost be out of Helium.
Because the US Government has the world's largest reserve of Helium. However, congress in their wisdom required the sell off of the Helium at a set price, not market prices. Until that supply is depleted, the market can't correct. Of course by then we'll almost be out of Helium.
18
Helium is a by-product of mining natural gas. As we're fracking up the whole country right now, let's hope the producers remember to capture the helium while they're at it.
19
@16 and mineral mining plats and grazing fees.
Want to know why we eat so much meat? It's artificially subsidized.
Want to know why we eat so much meat? It's artificially subsidized.
21
Don't other countries have bunches of the stuff? That's my understanding. They'll sell it to America... at rapetastic prices.
22
@14, 20, etc: I'm guessing that capturing alpha particles from decaying radioisotopes would be prohibitively slow?
23
Helium is expensive now, not cheap. Mainly because Bush did, indeed, agree to sell off the Strategic Helium Reserve.
However, there are two new, large, Helium extraction plants coming on line soon, one in Quatar, and one in Algeria, and so, within 3-5 years, Helium should be more available, and, hopefully, a bit cheaper.
World demand for Helium is up, though- its primarily used for chip fab machinery in making semiconductors, and coolant in MRI machines. Both of those industries have deeper pockets than balloon buyers.
However, there are two new, large, Helium extraction plants coming on line soon, one in Quatar, and one in Algeria, and so, within 3-5 years, Helium should be more available, and, hopefully, a bit cheaper.
World demand for Helium is up, though- its primarily used for chip fab machinery in making semiconductors, and coolant in MRI machines. Both of those industries have deeper pockets than balloon buyers.
26
Helium is the 2nd most abundant element in the universe, after Hydrogen. I don't think we'll "run out" of it. Ever.
27
@1 Way up there. Helium drifts to the upper edge of our atmosphere, and over time is blown away by solar wind. Not that it would be easy to recover, even if it stuck around.
@26 Our universe never will. But we will.
@26 Our universe never will. But we will.
28
Yep, we're screwed. All because we want to see things float and sound like a Smurf. There are worse things than not having an inert gas shield for arc welding, a high speed ‘push gas’ inside air-to-air missiles for guidance corrections, a protective gas in growing silicon and germanium crystals and in titanium and zirconium production, a cooling medium for nuclear reactors, artificial atmospheres for divers and others working under pressure, or cryogenics and superconductivity, supersonic wind tunnels, a pressurizing agent for liquid fuel rockets, a leak detection agent for extremely small leaks, isotopic dating by helium ratios (seawater, ocean beds, etc.), a helium cardiopulmonary resuscitation pump (heart surgery), or helium filled border patrol "AEROSTAT" monitoring blimps. (list shamelessly stollen from blm.gov, minus of course the first one on the list, balloons for parties).
And correct me if I'm wrong, but in that lovely Woody Allen clip if there was enough helium in the room for them to be speaking like that at all times, shouldn't the sound of the gun be higher pitched as well? I always knew there was a reason I hated Woody Allen films....
And correct me if I'm wrong, but in that lovely Woody Allen clip if there was enough helium in the room for them to be speaking like that at all times, shouldn't the sound of the gun be higher pitched as well? I always knew there was a reason I hated Woody Allen films....
29
Nope; it wouldn't change the sound of the gun at all. The reason it makes your voice squeaky is that it constricts the vocal cords. It conducts sound just the same as normal air.
31
Hydrogen fusion on earth is... doable, but expensive, and currently involves a net loss of energy. I'm not even certain the helium produced can be captured at a reasonable cost.
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