Who Gets the Last Balloon? The Ethics and Economics of Helium

By Guest Blogger Myra Wadhawan

The Strait of Hormuz conflict didn’t just affect oil; it also affected another limited natural resource that isn’t talked about enough.

Helium has many uses; we can’t see it, but it’s in our computer chips, MRIs, balloons, and research. Because of the events in the Strait of Hormuz, we don’t have enough helium. The current helium shortage is expected to last up to five years, as Qatar, which supplies around one-third of the world’s helium, is facing massive infrastructure damage. This scarcity has not only created a situation where you might not have enough helium but also created an ethical dilemma.

A woman named Mary might not have enough helium for her MRI. Michelle might not have enough for her birthday party balloons. At Miranda’s factory, they might not have enough to make computer chips. Even 7,000 miles away, Mindy was worried that her research lab would have trouble obtaining helium for their particle physics research. 

The Ethics

As a result, helium’s allocation raises major ethical questions related to utilitarianism. Utilitarianism aims to provide the greatest good (magnitude) for the most people (scope). Taking this straight to helium, it lets us ask: Who gets the helium, and who decides it? Each use of helium has its own magnitude and scope, making it difficult to determine which is truly its most utilitarian use. Additionally, just as there are many uses of helium, there are many users of helium, including researchers, hospitals, manufacturers, and retailers. Here, the value of fairness comes into play while considering the open market. And last but certainly not least, whose duty is it, if anyone’s, to ensure the helium is being given to its most ethical consumer? 

If we had Mary, Michelle, Miranda, and Mindy in the same room with one dewar of helium, who would take it home?

Sources: https://rockymountainair.com/blog/10-helium-uses/

https://westairgases.com/blog/helium-shortage/ 

https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/helium-and-strait-hormuz