Why is it more difficult to organize a party and fill balloons?

DETROIT – Helium is getting hard to find these days and it's a ruined party for people of all ages.

Of course, no helium means no balloons to helium, and what is a party without balloons?

While moms were trying to plan graduation parties and end-of-school events, the global helium shortage was a hot topic, especially on parent blogs and during meetings. the PTA.

"It's definitely a bad thing," said Laurie Sigelko, who has been striving to find inflated helium balloons for weeks. "As simple as balloons, they are a must for parties of all types, from small children's parties to adult birthday parties."

The balloons are reviving the boring halls, said Sigelko, 51, of Rochester Hills, Michigan. They are colorful, festive and, compared to flowers, cheap. And there is another benefit: When the gas is inhaled, you speak as an "Oz Wizard" Munchkin.

Closures of Party City stores in 2019: A retailer has closed 45 stores due to a worldwide shortage of helium

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Not what to laugh

Yet, scientists add, a shortage of helium – which has lasted for years – does not make people laugh.

"It's a serious problem," said Roman Dembinski, professor of organic chemistry at the University of Oakland. "A shortage and disturbances would extinguish our magnets, so we would be without instruments."

As helium prices reach new heights, some researchers and medical sector companies, who use gas as a refrigerant in magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear magnetic resonance, suggest a ban on balloons. Party.

Without helium, physicians will not be able to administer non-invasive and vital MRIs to patients to detect organ and tissue damage.

The element of the periodic table, helium, is what chemists call an inert gas.

It is nontoxic, non-flammable and used in many industries because it is the lowest boiling point in the industry at 452 degrees Celsius.

But now that gas is scarce and the price has skyrocketed, we do not really know what will happen.

Helium is also used in spaceflight to pressurize the fuel tanks of liquid fuel rockets, in satellite instruments, aerospace for supersonic wind tunnels and even combined with oxygen to create nitrogen – free atmospheres for deep – sea divers.

One of the main reasons for this shortage is that about 75% of all helium comes from three locations: the industrial city of Ras Laffan in Qatar, ExxonMobil in Wyoming, and the Texas Helium National Reserve. , according to the publication Gasworld.com, specializing in the gas trade.

In Texas, the reserves are depleting, while the global demand for gas has increased.

Despite a national helium shortage in the country, Party Paradise is continuing its activities due to new trends in nitrogen and air-filled organic displays in their showroom in Sterling Heights, Michigan. on Tuesday, May 7th, 2019. (Photo: Kathleen Galligan, Detroit Free Press)

Ready to pay for it

Parents who organize the parties do their best to find shops selling helium. They drive to many places where helium balloons were abundant – party shops, grocery stores and dollar stores – without any luck.

New Jersey-based Party City has issued a warning to customers that balloon orders may be affected.

Under the title "A global shortage of helium, "warned Party City," the supply of helium has always been a bit unresolved (pun). "

The company offers alternatives such as balloon arches and walls that do not require helium, just duct tape, and it is committed to helping customers who can not get helium balloons to "organize an unforgettable party" .

On Thursday, Party City announced the closure of 45 of its 870 stores.

Some parents, when they find a store containing helium, are willing to pay more.

Earlier this year, when Aimee Symington tried to organize a banquet for her daughter Gracie's dance club with other mothers, she struggled to find a place that would guarantee balloons to the girl. 39; helium. Initially, they had budgeted $ 50, about $ 1 per balloon. The bill: $ 139.64.

"You can hold a balloon-free party," said Symington, 43, of Rochester, while acknowledging that there are worse than balloon-less parties. "But it's just not the same thing."

Kevin Brikho, co-owner of Party Paradise in Sterling Heights, Michigan, along with his brother Sam, said the price of helium had risen by about 30% since January. He said that they had to pass the costs on to their customers.

"In 2004, a balloon cost 33 cents," he said. "Now it's $ 1.99."

Follow Frank Witsil on Twitter: @fwitsil

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