What happens to helium balloons when they float into the sky?

Science Tricks - Surfing Scientist - The Lab This is the print version of story http://www.abc.net.au/science/surfingscientist/heliumballoons.htm Cracker question because helium balloons are actually a pretty controversial topic. Some people argue that they are harmful to the environment because on returning to Earth, animals mistake them for food, eat them, and die. Now for this to happen, the balloons would have to come back down in fairly large chunks.

These chunks would then have to either block the animal's airways and choke them, or become lodged in their digestive system causing a fatal illness. Neither of these outcomes sounds very nice for animals so it's worth investigating more. First of all, we'd better look at how balloons are released.

When helium filled balloons are handed out at public events, they usually come with a piece of string or ribbon attached. The attachment is either tied into the knot, or secured with a plastic disk. Either way, if these balloons are ... more.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.