Shanghai Scrap

It took a few days for the news to make its way east, but now the world knows that approximately 100 people were injured when 1600 hydrogen-filled balloons exploded over a sports meet at the Lanzhou Electric Power School on September 17.

And that’s not even the most interesting part of the story:

The use of hydrogen in balloons violated regulations passed by the central government, said Yang Yucheng, an official in charge of policy and regulations with the provincial Meteorological Bureau. He said the handling and release of hydrogen-filled balloons required government permission. But the event organizers did not report their plan or check the balloons. The number of hydrogen-filled balloons at any event was also strictly limited to 1,000, said Yang, citing a circular jointly released by the State Council and China Meteorological Administration in July 2006.

That’s right: the State Council and China’s meteorologists are willing to permit the release of 1000 hydrogen-filled balloons at an event – so long as permission is obtained and the balloons are “checked.” I, for one, would very much like to know when – in China’s recent history – such an event was held. Barring the release of such information, I’d be content knowing who thought that it was a good idea to release 1600 hydrogen-filled balloons at a facility dedicated to the study of electricity. The above-cited Mr. Yang, who should be celebrated for his candor, concedes that the hydrogen explosion “could have been caused by static electricity.” [personally, I'm betting on an errant cigarette butt dropped by a school administrator]

Sadly, there is a much simpler explanation for this totally unnecessary accident: the price of helium (the safe gas typically used in balloons) has skyrocketed over the last several months. As a result, fewer and fewer people are able to afford ‘helium for pleasure,’ according to an illuminating report in last week’s Oregonian:

“It will eventually get so expensive that we won’t see a big consumption for helium for pleasure,” said Wayne Barker, brand manager of Norco Inc., a Bend welding and medical gas supplier. A birthday party that last year had 50 helium balloons could only get five balloons for the same price …

By that math, a sports meet that could get 1600 helium balloons last year, could only get 160 this year (and that just won’t do for a grand opening ceremony). Sure enough, the Xinhua report on the balloon explosions, conceded that:

Helium gas, which is three to five times [more] expensive than hydrogen, was encouraged for use in balloons.

Lord knows, the last thing that the world needs is another story about the deleterious health effects of Chinese cost-cutting. And, I concede, the balloon accident was not – strictly speaking – an industrial accident. But, then again, the Xinhua story reports that Gansu’s Bureau of Work Safety was involved in the investigation of the incident; indeed, in any other developed country, this incident would be considered an occupational safety issue above all else (and I’ll leave that sort of discussion to the experts).

Alas, there is no guarantee that such an accident won’t happen again. According to a report in Sunday’s China Daily:

“Education departments at various levels, schools and kindergartens must ask for government permission before they organize activities involving the handling and release of hydrogen-filled balloons,” the Ministry of Education said in a notice on its website on Saturday.