Helium is a colourless, odourless, and non-toxic gas which many people associate with balloons and making voices squeaky. However, it is an unsung hero and provides a lot more than just birthday balloons for Instagram pictures. We discovered Helium 152 years ago but now there is a massive shortage of this noble gas and just like petrol it is non-renewable. This has caused worldwide concern in science, research and medical care.

The uses of Helium (apart from balloons)

There are loads of unexpected uses for helium; its main use is cooling stuff down due to its low boiling point, and so liquid helium is very valuable. It is involved in many processes from high-speed internet cables to spaceships to radiation monitors, the uses are endless. In research, helium is used as a carrier gas to identify chemical compounds in unknown substances in a machine called a GCMS. In medical care, a very important use for helium is MRI scanners which allow us to examine almost any part of the body to identify injuries or disease.

How is Helium made?

Helium is too light to stay in the earth’s atmosphere and due to earth’s magnetic force it just gets thrown off the planet. There is some helium in the atmosphere however it would be a lot of effort and money to extract it. In the earth, there is a radioactive material that has broken down over years and years and helium is a by-product of this process.  This means that underground there are air pockets of natural gases and just like petrol, this needs to be mined. The helium from these natural gases then needs to be refined and extracted which is a very expensive process.  

Why is there a shortage?

There are only 14 plants in the world that will refine these natural gasses to due to it being so expensive. America has 7 of these federal helium reserves and makeup 40% of helium production. Global demand for helium is 30,000 tonnes a year and if this consumption rate continues, we may run out of helium in 2030. The price of helium is, therefore, increasing due to this high demand and is costing more than petrol due to its refining and mining processes as well as the low abundances of them underground.

What can we do?

Finding alternatives

Hydrogen is an obvious choice as it has similar properties to helium, it’s light and inert and can be produced artificially. However, hydrogens biggest set back is the fact it is VERY explosive and allowing hydrogen to become so readily available is a big safety risk. Liquid Nitrogen can be used in some cooling systems and some companies now specialise in liquid nitrogen cooling for MRI’s however nitrogen’s properties are not as efficient than those of helium.

Recycling

There is a possibility to recycle the helium used by installing a recirculation system to recompress the helium that comes out of the exhaust. However, the start-up for this Is over £100k and the savings can start to show within a few years but the convenience becomes noticeable immediately.

Stop unnecessary usage

I do not want to be the fun police but reducing the use of helium in balloons would help with the world shortage. The helium can instead go to medical uses or scientific research. Balloons also do not help with the environment so not using helium balloons can help save the planet as well as the world helium shortage.

Jess and Helium

The reason for my interest in helium was because of my role as a chemist. In the laboratory, we use machines that require helium and our helium supplier tripled our prices for helium containers. This then got me thinking.

There is no doubt that helium is important and the uses for it is fundamental in health care and during my research, some health care professions had to make minor setback in their MRI machines. They are having to fill their magnet of the machine to 70% instead of 90% which may sound like nothing, but this reduces the cooling effect of the machine which could give incorrect results to patients. I also stumbled upon angry scientists who say that filling valuable helium into balloons is a scientific crime and should be stopped as soon as possible.

To summarise, I want everyone to understand the importance of helium and just like a true noble gas it should protect at all costs. Research into alternatives or recycling helium is ongoing and I hope that a solution develops soon. The prices of helium are increasing rapidly, and this could impact the cost of health care to vulnerable patients. I would like everyone to think twice before buying helium-filled balloons and the impact they have on the environment as well as the science community.