Balloons And The Environment:

The balloon industry operates with an eye on the environment. Manufacturers try to ensure both the organic materials harvested and the production processes are environmentally sound. Retailers - mainly family-owned and operated small businesses - try t o ensure informed consumers handle their products properly.

All information comes from The Balloon Council:
Formed late in 1990 by manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, The Council has embarked on a nationwide campaign to present the facts about balloons and educate consumers as to their proper use.

 

Biodegradability

Latex is a 100-percent natural substance that breaks down both in sunlight and water. The degradation process begins almost immediately. Oxidation, the "frosting" that happens to latex balloons, is one of the first signs of the process. Exposure to sunlight quickens the process, but natural microorganisms attack natural rubber even in the dark.

Research shows that under similar environmental conditions, latex balloons will biodegrade at about the same rate as a leaf from an oak tree. The actual total degradation time will vary depending on the precise conditions, but it can be as short as several weeks.

Balloon Manufacturing

Latex balloons are produced from the sap of the rubber tree. The sap is collected without harm to the tree in much the same process as that used to collect maple syrup. The use of latex balloons and other products, such as surgical gloves, make rubber trees economically valuable, which discourages people from cutting them down.

Saving Rain Forests

Latex balloons are produced from the sap of a rubber tree. It's collected without harming the tree by using an environmentally safe, age-old process similar to that used for collecting the sap from maple trees for making syrup.

Rubber trees are one of the main forms of vegetation in tropical rain forests, which in recent years have become crucial to maintaining the earth's fragile ecological balance. Harvesting latex can be more profitable to poor Third World nations than raising cattle on the deforested land.

Balloon Launches

Balloons used in releases are made of latex, a 100 percent natural substance that will break down both in sunlight and water. The degradation process begins almost immediately -- oxidation, the "frosting" that happens to latex balloons, is one of the f irst signs of the process. Exposure to sunlight quickens the process, but natural microorganisms attack natural rubber even in the dark.

Research shows that after latex balloons are launched, they often rise to an altitude of about five miles, where they freeze, breaking into tiny pieces that scatter as they return to earth. While we do know that animals occasionally eat these soft slivers of rubber, the evidence indicates the pieces ultimately will pass through the animal's digestive system without harming the animal.

The American balloon industry has set firm standards for mass balloon releases:
* Releases must use only 100 percent latex balloons
* All attachments must be biodegradable
* All balloons must be self-tied
* Balloons cannot be attached to each other

Sea Mammals

There is no documented evidence that a balloon has ever been responsible for the death of any sea animal. Although many stories have appeared in the press about sea creatures dying from balloons, extensive research by the industry and reporters has yet to verify one such story. In one study of 439 Dead Sea cows over an 8-year period, Cathy Beck of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service did not find a single balloon inside a single deceased sea cow.

The most frequently cited case is one in which the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, NJ, found a balloon in the intestinal track of a dead sea turtle. Bob Schoelkopf, the director of the Center, has said himself that the balloon could not be identified as the cause of death.

A common misstatement designed to make balloons look bad is that sea creatures "mistake" balloons for a jellyfish. But there is no evidence that sea creatures think about what they eat. In fact, the variety of items -- many of which are much larger than balloons and don't look a bit like a jellyfish -- found in these animals show they will eat almost anything.

 

Litter

The Center for Marine Conservation (CMC) began the International Coastal Cleanup. By 1997 the CMC's U.S. Coastal Cleanup grew to include 175,000 volunteers and covered 7,093 miles. Balloons/balloon pieces were found at a rate of 4.28 per mile, a 15.9 percent reduction over the 1994 U.S. Coastal Cleanup, and accounting for less than .0064 percent of all debris collected.
Bottom Line - balloon litter has never been a significant part of the list of debris, and it continues to drop towards the bottom of the CMC list.

Latex Allergies

Latex allergies present a moderate to serious health problem for a very small percentage of the population in the United States. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Journal of American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, at least 94 percent of us probably will never have a reaction to latex balloons.

Oddly enough, those most at risk of having an allergic reaction to latex are found in hospitals - doctors, nurses, and certain patients.

Source - The Balloon Council: Formed late in 1990 by manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, The Council has embarked on a nationwide campaignto present the facts about balloons and educate consumers as to their proper use.