HOW DO BALLOONS BIODEGRADE ?

LATEX IS 100% NATURAL...
Latex is a 100% natural substance that breaks down both in sunlight and water and should never be confused with un-biodegradable plastic.   The degradation process begins almost immediately after a balloon is manufactured.   Oxidation is one of the first signs of the process, this is where the balloon starts to look slightly dull or less shiny.    Exposure to sunlight quickens the process, but natural microorganisms attack natural latex, even in the dark.

After a helium-filled balloon is released into the sky, it rises through the atmosphere at a little under two metres per second.  Both atmospheric pressure and temperature drop as altitude increases.

The balloon rises to a height of about 28,000 feet (about 8.4 kilometres) over a period of about 90 minutes.  At that altitude the temperature is about 40 degrees C below zero and the balloon has expanded to reach its full elastic limit.  A 27-centimetre balloon elongates, on average, to about 700% of its original, uninflated, size before bursting. Under these high altitude conditions, the balloon actually shatters into tiny pieces and undergoes what is called a “brittle fracture”.  The tiny pieces float back to earth and are scatted over a wide area.

Research shows that under similar environmental conditions, these tiny fragments of latex balloons will biodegrade at about the same rate as a leaf from an oak tree.   The actual total degradation time will vary depending on the precise environmental conditions (ie: temperature, season etc) but they are natural and return to their original state into the earth.

~  HISTORY  ~  MADE FROM  ~  ENVIRONMENT  ~  BIODEGRADE  ~  EXPECTED LIFE  ~