RE: Someone mentioned Uranium.......10 Feb 2024 16:31
Why is helium so expensive and hard to get?
I assume you mean recently, because it wasn't all that long ago we were practically giving the stuff away. The reason is as simple as supply and demand.
Although it's one of the most abundant elements in the universe, there really isn't much here on Earth; we simply dont have enough gravity to hold on to it if it isn't trapped somehow. All of the helium we gave comes from underground, created by the slow decay of uranium. In the 1940s and 1950s, as we were trying to build as many nuclear weapons as possible, we were mining uranium like mad, and collecting lots of helium in the process.
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The thing is, helium has a ton of medical and industrial applications, and nothing else is really appropriate to replace it. Not a problem as long as there was a plentiful supply, but as uranium mining has declined, so has our helium supply. The warehouses are almost empty, and we need to ensure that the little helium we are still collecting is going to industries that really need it, and not to keeping party baloons floating. Hence, the increases cost and reduced availability.
All the best (bitty history here...........! :()