It may be too late for Party City but for the Chinese and other balloon lovers this could be good news.
From United Press International (also on blogroll at right), March 1:
The amount of helium in underground geological formations could satisfy thousands of years of global demand, researchers said in an article published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
Like other essential commodities, there are supply-side concerns for helium as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. Sanctions and other restrictions mean supplies from Russia's Amur plant, expected to satisfy about 35% of global demand, are no longer available.
Researchers from Oxford University, Durham University and the University of Toronto estimate helium is a $6 billion market. The element is used in everything from fiber optics to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to nuclear technology, where its isotopes are used a fuel. Much of the helium present today is a result of radioactive decay of elements such as uranium....
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Yeah, yeah, MRI's. We all know the real impetus was some whiny six-year-old asking "Why no balloons" (blubber blubber, blubber)"If I go find some helium will you quit with the sobbing?"
Now, what about neon?
