Helium may be best known for party balloons and cartoonish squeaky voices, but its role in modern life is far more critical and far more endangered. Gold Hydrogen chief executive Neil McDonald says most people have no idea how deeply helium is woven into the technology they use every day.
“It’s not just party balloons and squeaky voices. People touch things that have needed helium every day of their life,” he said. “Helium is required to help make mobile phones; helium has helped make a lot of electronics, computers. When it comes to defence, you cannot do submarines without requiring helium.”
Helium’s importance comes from its unique properties. As the second‑lightest gas in the universe, it escapes into the atmosphere once extracted never to be recovered. That makes it a finite resource, and one that is rapidly tightening. McDonald says the global supply squeeze is already being felt.
“Some countries have actually stopped exporting, so there’s a world shortage of helium with a growing demand,” he said. “It’s the best cooling agent possible … and you can’t man‑make helium.”
With demand rising across medicine, electronics, energy and defence, the world is now confronting a stark reality: helium is essential, irreplaceable and running out.
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