ATLANTA — When you start talking about helium, the first thing that comes to mind is probably party balloons. But a helium shortage is affecting far more than just party stores.
It's shutting down scientific experiments and impacting research on drugs and common medical procedures.
Party City's helium woes could be the least of our troubles when it comes to the scientific element, but the chain store's problem finding a source for the gas has shed more light on the issue.
Scientists have been trying to sound the alarm about the shrinking helium supply for several years now.
It was even featured in episodes of The Big Bang Theory. Now, the American Physical Society says addressing the shortage is one of its top priorities, even as researchers are turning away from projects that require the element, or in some cases, facing rejection.
Helium is a chemical element that has no color, odor or taste, but it does bring a lot to the table with one professor describing it as liquid gold for scientists.
It's the coldest substance in the world, going as low as negative 450 degrees Fahrenheit. That's almost as cold as outer space. There's little else that can match those conditions.
NASA uses the element to separate fuels in rockets, and the Department of Defense uses it to create new cutting edge tools, like sensors that detect radiation.
Helium is also used in MRIs, also known as magnetic resonance imaging, and to preserve special magnets that can cost anywhere from thousands to a million dollars. Those superconducting magnets are used in developing pharmaceutical drugs.
There is still helium out there, just not enough to go around.
Helium is created through a natural process involving radioactive decay. It's usually trapped in rock formations, and extracted as a byproduct of natural gas.
It's the second most prevalent element in the universe, but it quickly dissipates into the Earth's atmosphere. That's why it is described as lighter than air.
You can find helium in fields around the world, but it is difficult to trap and store, and since it's so light it tends to escape.
The United States, Qatar and Algeria are considered the most reliable sources for helium, with 40 percent of the U.S. supply coming from the Federal Helium Reserve in Texas.
That facility is closing, though, in 2021 after Congress passed a law in 1996 to get the government out of the helium business.
The U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy says it hopes to release a plan addressing helium in the next few weeks. It's expected to include recommendations to increase production in the U.S. and to reduce, recycle or substitute supplies as possible.