Is It Right To Waste Helium On Party Balloons?

The US has been selling off its helium reserve, established in the 1920s to provide gas for airships – but even so, shortages have been occurring. Some scientists believe a finite resource that could one day run out should not be used for party balloons. In the universe as a whole, it is one of the commonest elements, second only to hydrogen in its abundance. On Earth it is relatively rare, and one of the few elements that escapes gravity and leaks away into space.

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