The Global Helium Shortage and How Balloon Businesses Can Deal With It
You may have heard reports of a global shortage of helium or that the helium market will be tight in 2019. Fluctuations in the helium supply are nothing new. About three quarters of the global helium supply comes from the U.S. and a move by Congress in 1996 to privatize the Federal Helium Program has been cited as a cause for disruptions and instability in the availability and price of helium [1]. In addition, worldwide refinery equipment failures and increased demand for helium from newly industrialized countries such as China, exacerbates the shortage. All this can negatively impact your balloon business. Source: wojtek mich on Unsplash Where Does Helium Come From? Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe but it only makes up about 0.0005% of the earth’s atmosphere. So do we get it from the atmosphere? No. Helium is recovered from underground natural gas deposits. Most helium sold today is a byproduct of the natural gas industry. Much of the U.S. nat