balloon to float baits from a boat or a shoreline. Acts much like an outrigger.

I can't believe mylar balloons are still allowed!!

they can also cause power outages when they hit electric wires.

fish, turtles etc. eat the balloon and the string attached.

one. We have to start thinking about what we're doing before we do it.

Just curious. Seems a related case could be made there, too.

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The main reason is to make sure no live rounds are left
But, there are concerns about the environmental problems and other safety issues with leaving them behind

It can be melted down and reused as something else
I knew a range cadre who would check pockets because some soldiers (especially basic trainees) would try and keep some

a loved one, knowing that it will likely kill innocent wildlife and pollute the environment. I'm not crazy about launching those paper lanterns/balloons into the sky or down a river because pollution is pollution, but at least they're biodegradable. I'd prefer it ended, full stop.

why boxes of bullets carry a warning about lead, but I still find it amusing. The warning is not about being shot but about eating them. At least I think that is why. I was a kid in the 40s. I chewed the heads off all my lead soldiers. And people ask me why I am the way I am.

I've always thought the suffocation warning on plastic bags was the funniest thing I've ever seen. I totally get that stupid people let kids play with plastic bags and those kids die but seriously, if those people are that stupid already do we really expect them to read a warning on the bag? Come on it's common sense and you can't make people have common sense.

Everything has to come with a warning label, in fear that someone might sue. I remember when I moved to Boston from Canada and went for a walk with a friend at Walden Pond. I was blown away by the signage; every 20-30 yards it seemed the was a notice posted warning that there were no lifeguards so swim at your own risk! It was a blight on the landscape, and seemed totally unnecessary and downright ugly, but they were covering their asses in case some drunk idiot jumped in the pond and drowned.

It was late at night and they hadn't the faintest idea it had happened. A neighbor saw something flickering and soon realized it was a flame... identifiable parts of the balloon were later found between the burned garage and the one owned by the neighbor.

A herd of illuminated balloons floating off into the night looks absolutely stunning, but each of them has the potential of being an un-intentional case of arson. People who launch these things have absolutely no control where they go, and livestock have been harmed eating them - apparently they contain wires.

And then there's the littering problem with ALL balloons when they drift down.
Have your party, but keep things inside please.

I try to keep up with the latest news on balloon pollution. I did one balloon release early in my career (16 years ago) for a client, and once embarrassingly enough, an entire helium arch got away from me as I was transporting it after the end of an event to my van - though I have to admit it was quite a site watching it float away. Balloon pollution is up unfortunately. Latex balloons do biodegrade - the industry line is they do so at the rate of an oak leaf, but an oak leaf can take up to 4 years to do so, and in that time, a balloon scrap can be mistaken as food by animals. Some can pass balloons without a problem, but of course, a lot of animals can't, especially if there's a ribbon attached to it. Now I encourage clients to plant a tree in memory of a passed loved one or even pop balloons after writing a wish or memory of a passed loved one (and then properly dispose of the scraps).

"Mylar" balloons should definitely never be released as they contain metal, which can get tangled up in power lines and cause problems.

TlalocW

Helium is needed for today's superconducting magnets (think MRI machines) and has a limited supply (it mainly exists trapped in natural gas deposits; historically most of it was from the US. Yet one more reason to end the practice.

I walk my trails with the dogs several times a week. I have been surprised how many land here. I have found the remains of some of those mini hot air burning lantern balloons. The "paper" lantern type has a thin steel wire frame that could act like a snare for small animals. Fortunately none of them have set my woods on fire.

The mylar ones will last for years. The other thing that will blow in are those damn thin film grocery bags. Those bags will fill with air and blow around just like a balloon. They seem to last forever too.