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 Ingested balloons harm and can even kill turtles who mistake balloons for jellyfish, a favorite food item Photo by Rex Herron, NMFS-Mississippi, courtesy of NOAA's MDIO |
Mylar Madness---the Calamity of Helium Filled Balloons
by Shawn Kelly MAKING WAVES, August/September 1999 |
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While I was offshore a few weeks ago for my job as an ocean engineer employed by the Navy, I came across a large mylar balloon that people send with flowers, or send individually for birthdays, valentines, etc., floating in the water. This served as a confirmation on where these balloons potentially endup after their short use --- in the ocean. I had read an article some time ago that discussed this problem, and, at the time, the article had created an awareness of this problem for me. Now seeing one of these balloons on the open ocean has again brought the problem to my attention. Apparently, once the balloons are released, either unconsciously or, in many cases, on purpose, the balloons have a tendency to drift (airborne) out to sea and eventually fall in the ocean. This is a significant source of ocean pollution, one with harmful impacts to marine creatures. This is certainly upsetting, particularly once you consider all the manufacturing, packaging, and shipping, associated with something that gets so little use and then becomes trash. Since finding this balloon and establishing a dialogue on the subject, Mark Cousineau, Surfrider Foundation National President, forwarded an account confirming this problem. " I was approached by a long time fisherman in San Clemente who wanted to know if Surfrider could do anything about this problem. His observations suggest that balloons are the single most common form of trash on the ocean that he observes in his travels from Point Conception to the Mexican border." Further confirmation of this problem has come from as far as Australia, suggesting an international endemic. Christopher Tola, the National Director for Surfrider Foundation, Australia, has targeted mass releases of party balloons by companies, city governments, etc for events. He commented that one negative result of these actions is that sea creatures like turtles, dolphins, and whales are eating the deflated balloons, mistaking them for jellyfish. Balloons swallowed by these animals cause an intestinal blockage and result in certain death. Robert Kummerer has volunteered with the Marine Animal Rescue Program (MARP) sponsored by the National Aquarium in Baltimore. MARP's goal is to rescue, rehabilitate, and release sick and injured marine animals. In 1993, MARP received a pygmy sperm whale that stranded in New Jersey. This whale, named "Inky" by the Baltimore media, was severely emaciated. After two months of little success in getting Inky to regain her appetite and weight, an endoscopic procedure was performed so the medical staff could look at her intestinal tract. What was discovered was totally unexpected. Several pieces of plastic were discovered, among which was a complete Mylar party balloon, the cellophane off a box of cigarettes, and pieces of a garbage bag. After a total of five endoscopic procedures, all of the plastic was removed from Inky. Roughly six months after first arriving at the aquarium Inky was completely rehabilitated and released in the Gulf Stream off Florida. This story fortunately had a happy ending, but how many ocean animals will suffer a different fate? As a doctoral student at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, Robert Griffin has spent a great deal of time at sea, censusing marine mammal populations. He states that he has seen balloons as far out to sea as 200 miles, generally singly but once in awhile a large cluster. Once the balloons fall into the ocean, coastal currents and warm core rings transport them to points unknown. These ocean borne balloons are non-biodegradable, ocean trash and are killing sea creatures. Until manufacturers can come up with a viable, environmentally responsible option, the Surfrider Foundation encourages people to use their imagination to find an ocean-friendly way to celebrate. In our throwaway society, people often never think about the consequences of their purchases. The next time you are celebrating with a helium-filled balloon, DON'T LET IT GO. |
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