Environmental
Concerns and Advantages
Balloon
Launches
Research shows that after latex balloons are launched, they
often rise to an altitude of about 5 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 though the animalÕs digestive system without harming
the animal.
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 a study of 439 dead sea
cows over an 8-year period, Cathy Beck of the U.S. Fish and
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.
Biodegradability
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 immediatelyÑoxidation,
the ÒfrostingÓ that happens to latex balloons, is one of the
first signs of the process. Exposure to sunlight quickens
the process, but microorganisms attack natural rubber even
in the dark. Under similar environmental conditions, latex
balloons will biodegrade at about the same rate as an oak
leaf. The actual degradation time will vary depending on the
precise conditions, but it can be as short as several weeks.
Litter
Balloons are not a significant litter problem. During a nationwide
beach cleanup in 1990, volunteers collected more than 1,300
tons of debris, only 150 pounds of which were balloons.
Environmental
Advantages
Rubber trees, from which latex for balloons is harvested,
are one of the main forms of vegetation in tropical rain forests,
which in recent years have become crucial to maintaining the
earthÕs fragile ecological balance. Harvesting latex can be
a more profitable alternative for countries with rain forests
than raising cattle on the deforested land. Even the latex
used in balloon manufacturing that comes from plantations
instead of the rain forest helps the ecosystem, as the natural
biology of the trees helps maintain our atmosphere and protect
the ozone layer.
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