From around the globe, there is a growing body of research, articles, and blog posts concerning the harmful impact of balloons and their base plastics on the environment and wildlife. We have listed only a small fraction of the sources and will continue to update as new findings are introduced or shared. We welcome new sources to learn from and will update them.It is important to share on our site what we’ve read and learned because no one on our team at Balloon Mission holds a degree in marine or biological science. Not one of us has an environmental or activist background. We are your next-door neighbor. We are the person in the car behind you waiting at the stop light, or who just passed you pushing a grocery cart. We are concerned citizens of our planet and are worried about the future of the grandchildren we don’t have yet. We’re ordinary people who are stepping up and taking action to do something to make it better rather than nothing at all. For these reasons, it is incumbent upon us to cite our references and show evidence of this growing problem. While we don’t have science backgrounds, we do have the references and organizations listed here to back up why our mission is important, why it needs to be shared, and most importantly, why we ALL need to do something about it.
“Researchers surprised at levels of toxicity in standard plastic products.” Phy.Org December 21, 2023. View Article
“Balloon Mission is up and away.” Long Island Herald. December 1, 2022. View Article
“The shocking truth about biodegradable balloons.” GreenCitizen.com. November 20, 2023. View Article
“Hold onto those Balloons: They Could End up in the Ocean.” NOAA. November 8, 2022. View Article
“Helium balloons impose a toll on our air, land, and sea.” Chicago Tribune. August 1, 2022. View Article
“Understanding the Impact of Balloon Releases; Sustainable Alternatives to Balloons.” HRSD. June 27, 2022. View Article
“The problem with birthday balloons no one talks about.” Readers Digest. June 13, 2022. View Article
“You Eat a Credit Card’s worth of Plastic Every Week.” Nautilus. May 18, 2022. View Article
“This is Why Releasing Balloons May Soon be banned in NY.” Big Frog. May 6, 2022. View Article
“This Florida County has made it illegal to release balloons.” F0x35. April 11, 2023. View Article
“How Balloons Blew Up.” NY Times. March 24, 2022. View Article
“Balloons celebrate life with death as they kill birds, turtles, and sea creatures.” Local10.com January 19, 2022. View Article
“Latex balloons do not degrade in freshwater, marine, and composting environments.” Journal of Hazardous Materials, Volume 403. 5 February 2021. View Article
“How Balloons in the Ocean Kill Marine Life.” Capt. Dave’s Blog How Balloons in the Ocean Kill Marine Life View Article
“Plastic Bottle Caps and Balloons Top the list of Trash washing up at Virginia wildlife refuges.” Virginia Pilot. January 8, 2020. View Article
“State pols want to ban helium-filled balloon releases.” NY Post. October 20, 2019.
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“Why Balloon Releases Need to Stop.” Tree Hugger.” August 15, 2019. View Article
“Why the Balloon Release Tradition is Terrible.” May 28th, 2019. https://forbes.com
“Plastic Balloons Kill More Seabirds than all other trash.” Lady Free Thinker. March 11, 2019. View Article
“Preventing harmful Balloon Debris along NY’s marine coastline.” NY Sea Grant. March 4, 2019. View Article
Julie Craves explains how discarded balloons harm birds.” Bird Watching Daily. October 2, 2019. View Article.
“Here’s What Really Happens When You let go of a balloon.” The Dodo. May 4, 2018. View Article
“High Flying Balloons pose a definite downside for ocean wildlife.” Ocean Conservancy.
August 29, 2012. View Article
“Balloon Debris A rising Concern.” Prevent BalloonLitter.org View Article