Helium in Crisis: Science, sanctions, and scarcity (#294)
- RIck LeCouteur
- Apr 2
- 5 min read
We all know helium as the gas that makes party balloons float and gives your voice that squeaky cartoon pitch when inhaled. But behind the lighthearted associations lies a serious and growing global problem: the world keeps running out of helium.
This isn’t just a minor inconvenience. It’s a looming crisis that could affect hospitals, scientific research, aerospace missions, and even the development of new technologies.
A Gas with Superpowers
Helium is extraordinary. It’s the second-lightest element in the universe, inert (so it doesn’t react with anything), and has the lowest boiling point of all elements (just 4.2 Kelvin, or -269°C). When cooled to nearly absolute zero, helium becomes a superfluid - a bizarre state of matter that flows without friction and climbs up container walls.
These unique properties make helium indispensable. It cools the superconducting magnets in MRI machines, keeps sensitive instruments in space exploration from overheating, and enables cutting-edge research at places like CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. It’s also used to manufacture semiconductors, pressurize rocket fuel tanks, and even help deep-sea divers breathe safely.
But here’s the problem: we can’t make helium.
It's produced deep underground through the radioactive decay of elements like uranium and thorium. And once helium escapes into the atmosphere, it’s so light that it floats off into space. Gone forever!
A Fragile Supply Chain
Because we can’t manufacture helium, we mine it, often as a by-product of natural gas drilling. But only a handful of companies globally are involved in helium extraction, and recent years have seen multiple supply chain shocks.
In 2022, a fire at a major processing plant in Russia, coupled with a shutdown at the U.S. National Helium Reserve and maintenance of a key facility in Qatar, sent helium availability plummeting.
The largest consumers of helium worldwide saw supply tighten. Semiconductor manufacturers felt the pinch. Even car airbag production and welding operations were affected.
Where Does Helium Come From?
Helium might be the second most abundant element in the universe, but here on Earth, it’s remarkably scarce and incredibly tricky to procure.
Unlike other industrial gases that can be synthesized in labs, helium cannot be artificially manufactured. The only natural sources of helium on Earth come from two extraordinary processes:
Radioactive decay deep underground: Helium is produced over millions of years as radioactive elements like uranium and thorium decay inside the Earth’s crust. This helium becomes trapped in natural gas fields beneath the surface.
Fusion in stars: Most of the helium in the universe is made in stars, including our Sun, through nuclear fusion. But we can’t tap into that cosmic supply, so we rely entirely on what's stored beneath our feet.
To extract helium, companies drill deep into the Earth, often during natural gas mining, where helium appears in low concentrations as a by-product. Specialized facilities then isolate and purify the gas.
But here’s the catch: only a few countries have the right combination of geology, infrastructure, and technology to do this effectively. Currently, the United States supplies about 46% of the world’s helium, followed by Qatar (38%), and Algeria (5%). That means supply is both geographically concentrated and vulnerable to geopolitical tensions, natural disasters, or infrastructure failures.
Worse still, once helium is released into the atmosphere, it's so light it escapes into space. It doesn’t accumulate in the air like oxygen or nitrogen. It simply drifts off the planet.
This means helium is not a renewable resource.
The supply we have now is essentially all we’re going to get - unless we find and tap new underground reserves.
That’s what makes recent discoveries so important. In 2016, a massive helium field was found in Tanzania, the first ever discovered through targeted exploration rather than as an accidental by-product of natural gas drilling. Production is expected to begin in 2025. If successful, it could signal a new era of helium-specific mining, potentially more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
The Human Cost of Helium Shortages
One of the most sobering consequences of helium scarcity lies in medical care. A typical MRI scanner uses almost 2,000 litres of liquid helium. If its supply evaporates (a process called “quenching”), the machine becomes inoperable, and in some cases, irreparably damaged. This isn’t just a logistical headache, it could mean delayed or denied diagnoses for patients around the world.
Toward a More Sustainable Future
The good news? Some promising solutions are already underway:
Low-helium MRI scanners: Newer models use sealed systems that require only one liter of helium, dramatically reducing demand. But they’re expensive and still limited in performance compared to higher-powered machines.
Helium recycling systems: Universities and labs are starting to install sophisticated recovery setups that capture and reuse helium. Mississippi State University expects to recover 90% of its helium annually using such a system.
New sources: In addition to Tanzania, new helium fields have been discovered in China’s Bohai Bay Basin, and Qatar is on track to open a new helium plant by 2027.
Still, the challenge of finding significant helium deposits to meet the growing global demand requires significant finances and a long lead-in time.
A Strategic Resource for the Future
In 2024, the sale of the U.S. Federal Helium Reserve, a stockpile that had quietly underpinned global helium supply for decades, added another layer of uncertainty. Trade groups and healthcare providers warned of a potential supply chain crisis. While the new private owner, Messer, has maintained operations so far, the episode highlights the geopolitical risks tied to this rare and essential gas.
With demand projected to double by 2035, especially in high-tech and green energy sectors, it’s clear helium will only grow in importance. Yet it remains underappreciated and underprotected.
Rick’s Commentary
Helium is one of those resources that quietly powers modern life. From your smartphone and car to hospital scans and space missions, this unassuming gas is everywhere, and yet constantly at risk of vanishing.
The helium crisis is a reminder of just how dependent we are on the invisible building blocks of technology and progress.
As we face growing environmental, medical, and industrial needs, it's time to treat helium not as a party favor - but as a strategic asset worth protecting, conserving, and investing in.
Think twice before buying a party ballon at the supermarket.
Postscript
Messer bid for federal helium assets accepted by Bureau of Land Management.
Messer is the world's largest family-owned industrial gas company, with activities in Europe, Asia, North- and South America. Headquarters are in Bad Soden, Germany. Stefan Messer, grandson of company founder Adolf Messer, is Chairman of the family company's supervisory board. During World War II, the company handled orders from the arms industry, and employed forced laborers in the production of arms components and in war-essential chemical development.
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