Middle East Helium

Helium, the second most abundant element in the universe, was first discovered on the sun, where it is the product of nuclear fusion. On Earth, helium is a byproduct of radioactive decay underground and must be extracted during natural gas production. The Earth’s atmosphere contains helium, but in such tiny concentrations it would be prohibitively expensive to recover. So our helium, whether used to lift a blimp or cool magnets in an atom smasher, is harvested as a byproduct of natural gas production. As worldwide demand for helium grows and concerns about adequate supplies increase tight supplies have produced higher prices, and some major helium users are turning to conservation methods to keep their budgets from soaring and their gas supply from drifting up, up and away. In 2013, the United States led the helium market in terms of production.