If you choose to release helium balloons, consider safe guidelines and the long-term environmental impact before the release.
Guidelines for helium balloon releases
- Use only natural, biodegradable latex balloons. Avoid balloons made from Mylar which is a material that persists much longer in the environment.
- Balloons should be released with no strings or ribbons attached. Strings and ribbons persist in the environment longer than the balloons themselves. Keep balloons in a mesh bag until the time of release.
- Release only a small quantity of balloons as any given time.
- Release away from lakes and other waterways, away from power lines, and overhead trees.
- Check weather conditions to make sure it is not too windy so the balloons rise quickly without blowing sideways.
Other ways to pay tribute or mark significant occasions
- Displaying flags, banners, streamers, or dancing inflatables
- planting memorial trees or plants
- using kites and garden spinners
- hanging bunting banners (strings of cotton flags, similar to Tibetan prayer flags)
- using tissue paper pompoms
- drumming
- floating flowers
- spreading wildflower seed bombs
Environmental impact
A balloon released may last for months polluting the water and land, and posing risks to wildlife.
Reports from the latex balloon industry say that a balloon made of natural latex will biodegrade about as quickly as an oak leaf. Depending on many factors, including temperature, humidity, and sun exposure, an oak leaf in cold water can take more than six months to break down.
Provided balloons are fully inflated and made of natural latex, if they reach their maximum expected altitude of 7.5 km, they will burst into small fragments due to the extreme temperatures and pressures at that height. If this happens, the fragments fall to the ground, and should biodegrade fairly rapidly. It is estimated that about 5-10% of balloons do not reach such heights, though, and end up floating at low altitudes until they descend, intact, into the environment where they can persist for much longer than as fragments.
In ocean settings, marine life including dolphins, whales, turtle, fish and seabirds have been found with balloons in their stomachs. Balloons pose similar risks to freshwater fish, turtles and birds that mistake the buoyant plastics and latex for their natural prey and forage.
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