Dan Bucatinsky: More Than I Can Chew
Farewell to Mylar
Filed under: Activities: Babies, In The News, Decor, Birthdays
Shaped like trains, numbers, and stars and filled with helium, Mylar balloons have become a colorful staple at birthday parties in recent years. Unlike traditional latex balloons, Mylar balloons can last for several weeks before deflating. Latex balloons sink and shrivel up within a day of being inflated, generally. So it's understandable why they have become such a large part of the celebration industry.Unfortunately, there is a downside to Mylar balloons too. If released, the electrically conductive inflatables can -- and do, on a regular basis, apparently -- short out power lines, causing outages and costing businesses as much as $120 million in California alone last year. And so it is that Senate Bill 1499 is making its way through various committees on its way to becoming law. If it is passed, the bill would ban the sale of helium-filled Mylar balloons.
The Save the Balloons coalition has been formed to try and save the businesses and jobs that would be affected if the bill passes. While I do like getting the kids a decorative Mylar balloon for their birthday, I also don't like it at all when the power goes out. I suppose the best solution would be for manufacturers to come up with an alternative material that will last as long as Mylar, can be made into an equal array of shapes and, most importantly, is non-conductive.
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ReaderComments (Page 3 of 3)
7-12-2008 @ 1:45AM
Jim Kucaba said...I say THUDELAH ! ...
Gasoline is nearly 5 Bucks a gallon in CaliFOOLia and the State Legislature is worrying about Mylar baloons ?
What the _ _ _ _ are those Bone-Head Legislators thinking?
Isn't there a single Logislator in CaloFOOLis with a brain ?
They should be lookihn fot OIL deposits in the CaliFOOLis Deserts !
I say THUDELAH ... Throw all those Bone-Heads OUT !
THUDELAH ! ... THUDELAH ! ... THUDELAH !
I am: Vaclav T. Booktapeeka
of PRAHA (Prague) CZECH REPUBLIK,
The AriZOOna Cactus Patch, and
Twenty Nine Palms, CaliFOOLia
Reply
7-12-2008 @ 2:34AM
Carla said...Why don't we just ban these moron politicians in the Congress and Senate and the sniveling environmentalists who hold them in their back pockets. We can't get a bill passed to drill in ANWR but they're wringing their hands over mylar balloons. Typical.
Reply
7-12-2008 @ 2:45AM
LeeAnn said...OH BROTHER, give me a break!!! What the hell next will someone with too much time on their hands come up with. This is as bad as those "Dudley Do Righters" that say the Alaskan Oil Drilling is killing the environment. Do any of you know how far north in Alaska the drilling is? No one even lives up there and the ground is the same as it was prior to the drilling. This is just another thing that someone has to gripe and moan and groan about. My guess is that no one ever gave them a mylar balloon and so this is their way of retaliating against them. There are much more important issues to be concerned about than a mylar balloon.
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7-12-2008 @ 4:26AM
Vic said...HOGWASH - check the power company reports - NO ballonns have caused power failure sin 2007 - STOP REGULATIONG MY LIFE
Reply
7-12-2008 @ 7:45AM
Bob said...Give me a break! I cannot believe that our congress is so lame that it has to even entertain a bill such as this when we have greater problems facing the nation. With the current mortgage problems, gas prices rising, in a recession that will most likely go deeper than it is today and what do our bureaucrats entertain .. a bill to ban mylar balloons.
If this is an indication where there heads are at I believe it's time to get rid of the whole bunch and start over.
Reply
7-13-2008 @ 1:48AM
Valerie said...Get real people. Do you not investigate anything before making a decision? In schools this is called "critical thinkinkg". Isn't that what we want to teach our children? To make in informed, educated decisions so we can apply the information to our lives? Gosh, I bet you still believe that old teenage story "you can't get pregnant the first time".
Those foam cups and plates that are used at your parties will NEVER degrade. Yours will be there when your ggggggrandchildren have their parties.
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