Potential ban on common party item sparks intense debate: 'Someone is getting in the way'

In January, Connecticut lawmakers debated a bill that would ban the sale of helium balloons in the state, CT News Junkie reported.

Balloon releases are used to celebrate or commemorate a wide range of events. However, the balloons that look so pretty and peaceful floating away can be a major problem for people and the environment when they come back down.

Balloons are often made of mylar, a synthetic material that takes hundreds of years to break down in the environment. Latex balloons can be natural or synthetic, with varying decomposition times. In either case, they can entangle or be eaten by wildlife and livestock — with deadly results — or end up in the environment as litter. Even special balloons designed to break down leave the string, often a plastic ribbon.

State Rep. Mary M. Mushinsky, a supporter of Senate Bill 1154, previously pushed for a ban on balloon releases but was forced to amend the law to allow for the release of fewer than 10 balloons.

"I wrote the original law, and we ended up with a 10-balloon limit because I couldn't pass the bill without it," Mushinsky said, per CT News Junkie. "Obviously, someone is invested in keeping these balloons going because the bill gets to a point where we're about to pass it, and then suddenly it doesn't go. I don't know if it's the helium people or the balloon people, but someone is getting in the way of passing the bill."

Other states have fully banned balloon releases, and Florida has entirely halted the sale of helium balloons, giving representatives hope for Connecticut.

"It's just a habit and a cultural expression which could be changed to a different type of cultural expression that shows affection for the person who died or affection for the couple who's getting married or whatever," Mushinsky said, per CT News Junkie. "There's other ways to celebrate that or to commemorate someone who we have lost without killing off sea life and birds. So, I think we can make that shift and introduce new customs, but the first action is really to ban the balloon."

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