Geisendorff
Claudia Geisendorff
Chem
Professor Dungan
8 December 2016
STEM Blog 5: The World is Running Dangerously Low on Helium
Perhaps best known for its balloon inflating capabilities, helium is important to many
aspects of our society. A major aspect of STEM, helium is not only a big component in industrial
activities since it does not mix with other chemicals easily, but also essential to high-tech
medicine and machines. According to Washington Post, helium has become so significant in
today’s society, that there have been fears of a shortage. A company, called Helium One, has felt
it necessary to discover new helium deposits and has recently hit a stroke of luck. In Tanzania’s
East African Rift Valley, a helium field was discovered after large amounts of the gas was
released by volcanic activity from ancient rocks. It is unclear if there is any environmental
concerns drilling this gas from Tanzania, but the company does not believe it will harm the
surrounding land since there is not oil or natural gas there. In this rift valley, about seven times
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- Winter '16
- Chemistry, Periodic Table, future helium shortage
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