Balloon Releases: Environmentally Safe – Fact or Fiction?
Erroneous reports about balloons and balloon releases harming the environment have appeared in major newspapers and on national TV news programs. Many of these reports contain inaccurate claims made by well-intentioned people who care deeply about the earth’s ecology — but lack the facts. Balloons used in special event releases constitute only a small fraction of the industry’s sales. Unfortunately, these spurious claims have caused a chilling effect at the local level and unnecessary financial strain on many of America’s small, independent balloon retailers who depend on special events as a major source of their livelihoods. Small industries such as delivery and decorating services also suffer. Most consumers don’t have the time or inclination to sort through bad information disguised as fact — often resulting in a negative perception that balloons are bad. Latex balloons are sometimes confused with plastic items and lumped in with the plastics litter problem. The often used phrase, “
