Helium is a very small and extremely light gaseous element. It is odorless and tasteless. It is the least reactive of all elements: that is, it is inert and is not known to react with any other element or ion. As a result, there are no helium-bearing minerals. However, helium is given off as a by-product of the breakdown of radioactive elements in rocks and minerals.

Helium was not first discovered on Earth; it was first discovered in the Sun! In 1868, the chromosphere of the Sun was studied during a solar eclipse. The study was done using an instrument that breaks a light into its spectrum, like a prism breaks sunlight into its rainbow colors. The instrument used is called a spectrometer. The French astronomer Janssen studied the spectrum produced during this event, and concluded that a new, yellow stripe was due to an element not previously known. In 1895, Sir William Ramsay proved the existence of helium on Earth in his studies of a radioactive ore material from Norway (the discovery of radium in 1898 showed that helium was indeed a by-product of the natural breakdown of radioactive elements). Helium was discovered to be an element by Norman Lockyer and Edward Frankland of England.

Studies of the molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere show that helium makes up .0004% of the atmosphere. In other words, there is one helium molecule for every 200,000 air constituents molecules (which includes oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, helium, etc.).

There is no helium in the human body, and since it is so inert, helium is not harmful to any life form.

Helium can be cooled enough to liquefy it; however, it is the only element that cannot be frozen solid at very low temperatures.

Since helium was first discovered by studying the Sun, its name was derived from the Greek word for sun, helios.

Some natural gas deposits have as much as 7% helium. Such deposits have been found in Texas, Russia, Poland, Algeria, China and Canada. Helium extracted from these natural gas reserves is the single source of helium.

It is believed the world helium resources – excluding those of the United States – totals 15.1 billion cubic meters. It is estimated that the United States has helium resources of 11.1 billion cubic meters.

Because it is inert, liquefied helium has a number of applications. It is used in cryogenics to freeze biological materials for long-term storage and later use (24%). It is also used in welding and to create controlled atmospheres. It is used to detect leaks in pipes. Its inert nature makes helium useful for cooling nuclear power plants.

Since helium molecules are so small, mixtures of helium and oxygen have proven to be useful in treating people with severe asthma or lung problems. It is also mixed with oxygen for use in deep-sea diving.

Most people are certainly familiar with the use of helium as a lighter-than-air substance. It holds up our birthday balloons. The motorized blimps that hover over sports stadiums are held up by helium. They are, in reality, very large balloons.