Helium Shortage

I vote that they go back to hydrogen...

Helium may be the second-most common element in the universe, but supply is not meeting demand. Producers of helium, which is extracted from natural gas, are limited and new sources have not come online as quickly as needed.

It might seem a light topic. We usually think of helium for filling party balloons, or our lungs in order to create that Alvin and the Chipmunks sound.

But helium also powers industry and science: It is used to make medical MRIs, liquid crystal display screens, as a shielding gas in welding and manufacturing, and more.

Helium for balloons is a very small percentage of the helium used in the world, but it is also possibly the most expendable.

“Of all of the uses of helium, from medical to scientific to industrial, balloon helium comes down on the lower end, ” said Jim Ely, vice president of Communications at Airgas, a U.S. distributor of industrial, medical and specialty gases.

That ‘s why party planners and suppliers may be feeling the blow most.

Although the story only mentions it in passing, this is yet another negative side-effect from our refusal to build more refinery capacity in the United States.