Conservation of Helium-4

​The American Physical Society urges the adoption of policies and technologies to conserve and strengthen the US helium supply. Helium is essential both for achieving extremely cold temperatures and for creating thermally conductive inert atmospheres. Affordable and reliable helium supplies are essential for many current and emerging technologies and for advanced scientific research.

Context​

Although the United States is fortunate in having significant resources of this critical element, the supply has severe natural limits. Helium is obtained as a harvested byproduct during natural gas production. If not extracted during production, as is often the case, the helium is irretrievably lost to the atmosphere when the natural gas is burned. Helium suppliers are also few in number, and the supply chains are fragile and prices are unstable with significant increases in the last few years.

The overall demand for helium has been steadily increasing as it enables critical societal needs ranging from essential medical imaging, to the manufacture of fiber optics and semiconductors, to the quick inflation of protective airbags in automobile accidents. Helium is also essential for the exploration of many fields of modern physics including quantum science, high altitude atmospheric studies and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. ​It is critical to the health of these industries and scientific fields that researchers continue to have affordable and reliable access to helium, both to advance our scientific and technological understanding and to train the next generation of scientists and engineers working in these fields.

Efforts to ensure this access could include funding from NSF, or other agencies, for closed-cycle helium recycling systems, funding for research to increase the operating temperature of helium dependent technologies, regulations or incentives to increase the helium harvested from our natural gas supply, and regulations or incentives to increase the number of helium suppliers in the market.

In view of the strategic importance of this unique and irreplaceable natural resource to modern science and technology, The American Physical Society urges that measures continue to both conserve and enhance the nation's helium supply.

The review process for any statement may be started at any time if deemed necessary by the Panel on Public Affairs, and at least once every five years.