Re: Helium balloon release and animal safety?

Hello,

As you found already, there isn't a whole lot of widely available, concrete information on this subject. I expected to find quite a bit of 'expose' type information on the horrors of balloon releases and animal tragedies, but after hunting high and low on the Web, I only found some general comments, all associated with sites related to the balloon industry.

My instincts would say that bits of latex falling from the sky wouldn't be a great addition to animal habitats, waterways, etc., but there is no hard and fast evidence that balloon ascensions or releases are harmful to animals. As mentioned on more than one balloon professional Web site, no one has ever proven that a balloon was the definitive cause of death of any marine or terrestrial animal. Anecdotally, I've heard that sea turtles are known to ingest balloons, thinking they're jellyfish or other tasty food, and I've heard the same for manatees and dugongs. But, again, no one has hard evidence. Also, it stands to reason that any curious critter tempted to eat balloon fragments would not be able to digest them properly, and may suffer as a result.

So what do we know about all this that might be useful to you as you plan your open house?

First and foremost, hand tie your balloons, and avoid ribbons altogether. Latex balloons are biodegradable (don't know how long that takes, but I believe the balloon folks on that one), but the plastic or metal clips often used to seal balloons are not. Neither are curling ribbons and such used as "handles". If you're set on what's called a "hand release", where individual people let go of balloons all at once, you should consider using "green" string-- unbleached, as short as possible. You don't want to gunk up your surrounding area with a bunch of balloon closure gizmos and bits of string, and shorter string will reduce the odds of released balloons getting caught in trees and/or power lines.

There's a whole 'nother line of argument about how high balloons have to rise before they shatter, thereby reducing the litter issue. String and ribbons, and especially cards and such for return notes, etc., are thought by some to hinder the balloon ascent, making it harder or impossible for balloons to reach the five miles (give or take, as this figure ranges all over in the info I read) necessary to expand the balloon to popping point. I don't have the expertise to evaluate that part of the argument, but I sure don't think it's a great idea to send a bunch of postcards and whatnot out into the air. I loved balloon ascensions as a kid, but I never once heard back from anyone who picked up my messages to the world. I suspect most of our notes wound up in the neighboring cotton fields.

Most of the above information came from the Balloon Headquarters Web site and chat lists. Balloon professionals are very worried about potential legislation that would ban some of their activities, so they're interested in environmentally friendly options, which sounds like your approach as well. Visit http://www.balloonhq.com for more on their thoughts.

Also, the Web site for Balloon Artists & Suppliers Association Queensland has quite a bit of information regarding balloons and the environment. Visit http://dys on.brisnet.org.au/~helenc/BASAQ/environment.htm for more from them.

It's great that you're thinking about these issues before you decide whether to release balloons. It sounds to me like there are better and worse approaches, and I encourage you to hand tie and gather the balloons together under a big box or in big bags (to corral them), rather than even trying to come up with an eco-friendly string. The Web sites I mentioned have all kinds of creative ideas along those lines.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to learn something new. Good luck with the open house festivities.

Ruth