Is Planet Earth Running Out Of Helium? (2024)

FAQs

Is Planet Earth Running Out Of Helium? ›

The good news, however, is that there's more helium in other areas of the Earth (such as groundwater) than scientists previously thought. So while we are running down the helium stockpile, it looks like we will not be running out of helium anytime soon.

Yes, the Earth is running out of helium because it is a nonrenewable resource. This is how Total Helium brings value to its investors and other stakeholders, by performing the important work of helium exploration and storage. Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe, with hydrogen being the first.

Argon can be used instead of Helium and is favoured for some metals. Helium is used for many lighter-than-air applications, and Hydrogen is a possible substitute for many where the flammability of Hydrogen is not a concern.

“It would be foolish if it ran out, because the helium is necessary,” says Trønnes. Helium cools down magnets in MRI machines that examine people for cancer and other diseases. It is also used to make super-fast trains – such as the Shinkansen train in Japan.

Can helium be made artificially? Helium can be found in abundance all over the universe. In fact, it is the second most abundant element known to man. Because of its chemical composition, it is not possible to produce helium artificially, which is why it is extracted from natural gas wells.

Others suggest between 100 and 200 years of helium usage could be a best estimate. Regardless of the estimates, the knock-on effects to industry could be huge, not to mention the constant volatile nature of helium prices. All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing.

Richardson said it has taken 4.7 billion years for the Earth to accumulate our Helium reserves. The United States' reserves were purchased in 1925 and will be gone in only a hundred years from getting it. Once the Helium is released into the atmosphere it is gone forever.

No, helium is a non-renewable resource. That is why the Federal Government stored 44 billion cubic feet of helium in a natural gas reservoir at Cliffside, just outside of Amarillo, Texas.

Balloons bobbing in the ocean are mistaken for food and swallowed by marine life. Other wildlife get tangled in the strings attached to the balloons. It is estimated that helium balloons rank 6th in debris harmful to marine life.

So there you have it—balloons can indeed float without helium, but they work differently and have some drawbacks. If you want your balloon to float for a long time and stay in one place, then you're better off using helium. But if you're in a pinch and don't have any handy, then hot air will do the trick!

Are balloons a waste of helium? ›

Do we waste helium? This really depends on what one means by 'wasting', but in a simple sense, yes… nearly all the helium we use is done in a one-time fashion that is then released to the atmosphere. Balloons are obvious, but use of helium in MRIs and superconducting magnets also allows for the escape of the helium.

Breathing in pure helium deprives the body of oxygen, as if you were holding your breath. If you couldn't breathe at all, you'd start to die in minutes—as soon as your body exhausted the supply of oxygen stored in the blood.

According to Phil Kornbluth, president of Kornbluth Helium Consulting, the U.S. hasn't been able to tap into Russia's helium supply because of strained trade relations and the war in Ukraine.

Helium in the U.S.

Apart from being the world's main producer and one of the largest helium consumers, the U.S holds the most extensive helium reserves worldwide.

If our supply ran out, it could spell the end of MRI testing, LCD screens and birthday party balloons. Or it could make all of those things much more expensive. Although argon — another inert gas — can be substituted for helium for welding purposes, no other element can do what helium can do in super cold applications.

A fusion reactor produces helium, which is an inert gas. It also produces and consumes tritium within the plant in a closed circuit. Tritium is radioactive (a beta emitter) but its half life is short. It is only used in low amounts so, unlike long-lived radioactive nuclei, it cannot produce any serious danger.

But helium — a nonrenewable element found deep within the Earth's crust — is running low, leaving hospitals wondering how to plan for a future with a much scarcer supply. “Helium has become a big concern,” said Mahadevappa Mahesh, professor of radiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Baltimore.

There's a finite amount of helium on Earth. The largest reserves are in massive underground pockets in parts of Algeria, Qatar, Russia and the U.S. While the Texas stockpile is the largest source of helium in the U.S., it's not the only one.

Helium is used to cool thermographic cameras and equipment used by search and rescue teams and medical personnel to detect and monitor certain physiological processes. Various industries use helium to detect gas leaks in their products. Helium is a safe tracer gas because it is inert.

Geochemical evidence indicates the Earth has deep reservoirs of helium-3, but their locations and abundances remain uncertain, they note. Earth's mantle lost most of its helium-3 during and after our Moon's impact formation, says Olson.