After the Qatar embargo, scientists feared that they would have to halt experiments or shut down laboratories’ instruments. An example is the supply chain disruptions that were worsened by the 2017 embargo in Qatar, one of the leading producers of helium. Very few countries produce this rare element, so even a minor change in the production levels in these countries can significantly impact the global helium supply. Besides being difficult to mine, the current helium shortage stems from the limited supply and rising demand across the world. Any helium that escapes cannot be recaptured and vents straight into the atmosphere. To begin with, helium is one of the rarest elements on Earth, it is fairly difficult to mine, and even more difficult to store. Thanks to helium, MRI machines can operate more effectively and efficiently.īecause helium is a critical element for most industries, a shortage of this finite resource and rising demand could brew up a perfect storm for many industries relying on its use. In its liquid form, helium can cool down superconducting magnets, which generate images of the human body, to a temperature below minus 269 degrees Celsius. Because it is very unreactive and provides an inert protective atmosphere, it is ideal for making fiber optics and semiconductors and is also used for arc welding.īesides being used in high-speed internet, cable TV, computer hard drives, microscopes, airbags in cars, mobile phones, computers, and tablet chips, helium even acts as a coolant for nuclear reactors.īut the most common use of helium is in hospital magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners. Scientists use liquid helium to pressurize and stiffen the structure of rockets before takeoff. Bureau of Land Management, and the delay in new sources such as Russia’s Amur plant entering the market. Since 2006, this would be the fourth time the world is short on helium.Īccording to the gas industry, the world is currently experiencing “Helium Shortage 4.0” which can be blamed on declining or unreliable production from existing sources, most notably the U.S.
A global helium shortage that began last year continues today and could continue well into next year and disrupt various helium-reliant industries in different ways, from predicting the weather to making semiconductors and detecting gas leaks in ships.
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