Helium shortage and Walmart

[ianr33]

Fair enough. Learn something every day!

 

[tracydr]

This is a false statement - there are more than a few accidental deaths to prove it. If any gas not containing oxygen is breathed long enough it will kill you. The problem is that since the human breathing response is mostly tied to CO₂ levels and not O₂ levels it is quite easy to breathe an inert gas long enough to deplete the oxygen supply to the brain to the point that the victim will pass out and *not recover* before suffering irreparable brain damage or death, especially if the victim is already drunk. It's probably impossible from a normal sized balloon, but it used to happen with alarming regularity when breathing from a bottle of He - haven't heard of a case recently so perhaps the addition of O₂ has become the standard for "balloon gas." Still, one must assume that any bottle of helium is sans oxygen and treat it accordingly.
And no "balloon gas" can ever be assumed to be safe for mixing in a diving gas.
Rick

So right. Had a friend die fooling around with laughing gas.

 

[windapp]

Well I did learn a little bit from this thread, especially after digging around a doing some research. While helium is unlikely to cause anything more than unconciousness if normal air is available after losing consiousness, there are other more serious considerations. Breathing off any uncontrolled compressed gas source has the potential quickly destroy lungs, and cause almost instant death when the person drowns in their own blood. I will definitely be talking to my kids about the dangers of breathing an unregulated compressed gas when I give them the drug talk.

 

[HIGHwing]

What I learned from this thread is one man's balloon gas is another man's heliox!

 

[Rick Murchison]

... While helium is unlikely to cause anything more than unconciousness if normal air is available after losing consiousness...

Please, please, let's be perfectly clear... "unlikely" isn't the same as "won't." As death is absolute, and death can and does occur in a handful of cases year after year from breathing Helium to unconsciousness, let's all agree to "JUST SAY NO!"
Rick

 

[EastEndDiver]

Agrees with Rick !!!

 

[DandyDon]

The Helium shortage greatly reduced the number of balloons in the America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race starting this weekend at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.

"Helium was pretty abundant and reasonably inexpensive," the race's founder, Mark Sullivan, told KRQE. "Until just recently you could fill a helium balloon for about $3,500."
Helium, the only gas used to compete in the race until 2005, has become rare and expensive. Sullivan said that a helium-only balloon would now cost a competitor about $15,000.
This year, only hydrogen balloons are participating in the race. Hydrogen gas is significantly less expensive, but most racers in the U.S. don't have balloons that can safely use the fuel.
The change in gas has led to a massive drop in participants for the America's Challenge race: In 2002, 14 teams competed. This year there are five.

The main feature of the Fiesta is still on with 600 Hot Air balloons, tho - weather permitting.

Looks like the Red Bull balloon hopefully going up Monday as the He market cornered to fill the largest balloon ever, with skin 1/10 as thick as a sandwich bag. Felix Baumgartner hopes to jump from 23 miles up and break the sound barrier falling, then hopefully parachute safely to land.

When Helium is released in any manner, it's gone: World Helium Supply Could Be Gone in 30 Years - CBS News

 

[windapp]

Please, please, let's be perfectly clear... "unlikely" isn't the same as "won't." As death is absolute, and death can and does occur in a handful of cases year after year from breathing Helium to unconsciousness, let's all agree to "JUST SAY NO!"
Rick

Please show me a single case. Just one, where somebody didn't blow up their lungs, and didn't recover from passing out due to breathing an inert gas when fresh air was readily available after they passed out. You say there are a "handful" of cases, but I can't seem to find any.

In diving, we live with unlikely all the time. You are unlikely to get DCS if you follow the rules. You are even more unlikely to get CNS toxicity if you stay within the 1.40 limit, and don't exceed the time limits.

 

[ianr33]

BBC News - Family of 'helium death' teen warn of inhalation danger

 

[Rick Murchison]

http://classweb.gmu.edu/jkozlows/lawarts/11NOV89.pdf

Please show me a single case. Just one, where somebody didn't blow up their lungs, and didn't recover from passing out due to breathing an inert gas when fresh air was readily available after they passed out. You say there are a "handful" of cases, but I can't seem to find any.

In diving, we live with unlikely all the time. You are unlikely to get DCS if you follow the rules. You are even more unlikely to get CNS toxicity if you stay within the 1.40 limit, and don't exceed the time limits.