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The U.S. just sold its helium stockpile. Here’s why the medical world is worried. (www.nbcnews.com)

submitted 6 months ago by WayeeCool@hexbear.net to c/chapotraphouse@hexbear.net

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Privatizing the US national helium reserve. Gonna laugh when in a few years the government of another nation ends up owning it. Helium is dwindling finite resource that key technological infrastructure relies upon.

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[-] alcoholicorn@hexbear.net 67 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Helium is technically finite, but it's really a byproduct of natural gas extraction. Most natural gas operations don't bother to even harvest the helium.

[-] WithoutFurtherBelay@hexbear.net 54 points 6 months ago

agony-shivering

[-] Tunnelvision@hexbear.net 9 points 6 months ago

That’s crazy to me. It’s obviously useful, how is it not worth it to extract it if it’s already there during the process? That’s like hearing people back in the day burning gasoline since it was a byproduct of extracting crude oil.