+ = Balloons can kill wildlife. Don t Let Go! What happens to balloons after they are released?

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1 If you would like to fi nd out more about the responsible use of balloons and the eff ects of balloon releases on the marine environment, please visit What happens to balloons after they are released? You can also contact us at: Marine Conservation Society Overross House, Ross Park, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 7US Tel: Fax: = RICHARD HARRINGTON/MCS Cover images: Balloons/CORBIS Fulmars and balloons/alterra VAN FRANEKER The MCS campaign pack has been funded by the Project Aware Foundation (International) and the Crown Estate Copyright MCS/2006 Registered charity number: Protecting our seas, shores and wildlife - now and for future generations.

2 Balloons float up into the air and disappear from your thoughts, but not from the environment. Beach litter surveys organised by the Marine Conservation Society have shown that the number of balloons and balloon pieces found on UK beaches has tripled in the last 10 years. 10% of released balloons don t burst, they float back down to earth where they pose a serious threat to wildlife. Dolphins, whales, turtles, seabirds and other animals have all been killed by balloons. If swallowed, balloons can block an animal s gut and cause it to starve. Animals can become entangled in balloon ribbons and string, restricting their movement and their ability to feed. Even biodegradable latex balloons are a danger as they can take several months or even years to break down. Turtles are particularly at risk as they can confuse balloons with their jellyfish prey. Mass balloon releases have already been banned by several local authorities in the UK, USA and Australia. let go! BALLOONS CAN KILL WILDLIFE GREEN TURTLE ROD PENROSE RAZORBILL CHRISTINE MCGUINNESS GRAEME CRESSWELL/BREATHTAKINGWHALES.COM MCS guidelines for wildlife friendly balloon use You can enjoy balloons without harming wildlife. let go of balloons outdoors! Fill balloons with air rather than helium. Use balloons made of natural rubber latex rather than mylar (foil) balloons. When tying balloons use natural cotton string rather than plastic ribbon. Securely tie any balloons that are used outside. Always hand tie balloons rather than using plastic valves. Sign up to the Go petition Instead of releasing balloons into the environment, why not try a wildlife friendly alternative? Prize balloon popping Air fill your balloons, and hide a few prize tickets inside. Release the balloons indoors and have everyone pop them to find prizes. Balloon relay - Each member of a team has to run a short distance and sit on a balloon to pop it before running back to tag the next member of the team. The first team to pop all their balloons wins! Balloon art -Hire a balloon artist or, for a big, bold statement, try a giant airfilled-balloon sculpture. Visit our website for more ideas.

3 Alternatives to balloon releases There are many types of events that could easily replace balloon releases and not cause harm to our environment. Many marine species, including turtles and dolphins, accidentally eat balloons because they think they are food. This blocks their stomach and can cause them to die. Animals also get entangled in balloons. This is really simple to stop just don t release balloons. There are lots of events to choose from and we ve put together some ideas here to help you. We re not against balloons as long as they are not released to be another bit of litter in the environment. So if you ve already bought balloons, how about doing these events instead? A razorbill caught in a balloon Prize balloon popping Hide a few prizes inside air filled balloons. Release balloons indoors and let everyone pop them to find the prizes. Also works well with choosing raffle ticket winners. Balloon relay Each member of a team has to run a short distance and sit on a balloon to pop it before running back to tag the next member of the team. The first team to pop all their balloons wins! Balloon sculpture Use your balloons to make an unusual but fun sculpture. Balloon art Hire a balloon artist to create balloon animals. let go! Guess the number of balloons Fill a car with balloons and the correct guess gets a prize (could you get the local car dealer to donate the car as a prize?). Trying to raise lots money without spending much? Try these events instead: Sponsored events All it costs you is a sponsorship form! Find some willing individuals to do sponsored running, walking, swimming, pogo jumping whatever you like! Auction Get people and local companies to donate prizes and hold an auction to raise money for your cause. Virtual balloon release They do exist! You can sponsor balloons, set them off from a precise location and track them online to see where they end up. Balloons travelling the world with no harm to the environment great! Music concert Support new local bands and host a night of musical entertainment. Tickets for the concert all go to your cause and musicians get a great chance to showcase their talent. Colour code yourself Dress in green / blue / neon pink and give money to charity too.

4 Balloons are often released to commemorate or raise awareness why not try these ideas instead: Lighting candles Planting trees or flowers Need an event for kids? Paper plane competition (also works for adults brings out the competitive side!). Prize for the plane that travels the furthest. Plant a tree to mark a class leaving school Or get all the children of the school year to make a clay or paint collage of their handprints a beautiful, personal memento of the year. Easter egg or treasure hunt. And for something totally different Hand paint picture as a good way to mark the end of a school year Release the cow! Mark out squares in a plot of land and sell tickets for each numbered square. Release a cow into the field and the first square to be hit by a cow pat wins BHF Organise a kite fly. Looks spectacular and is cheap and fun to organise. What goes up does come down Finally if you have any good ideas please let us know!

5 ROD PENROSE/MEM These cases are only the ones we know of. Most marine creatures that die at sea are never found or post mortemed. that died in Florida after eating a partially inflated latex balloon. Closer to home, Risso s dolphins in French waters are known to ingest balloons, as are fulmars in the North Sea, and turtles (see case study, below). (rubber) balloon. Other records of balloon ingestion include common dolphins in Californian waters, loggerhead turtles in Texan waters, and a green turtle We know that balloons can kill as there are many cases around the world where the death of marine wildlife has been attributed to balloon ingestion (swallowing). In 1985 the Marine Mammal Stranding Centre of New Jersey recorded the death of a pygmy sperm whale that had starved after ingesting a mylar (foil) balloon. In 1987 they recorded the death of a leatherback turtle that had starved after ingesting a partially inflated latex can drown, asphyxiate (suffocate) or starve. If they ingest (swallow) marine debris it can damage or block the gut and lead to starvation. If you would like to find out more about the responsible use of balloons and the effects of balloon releases on the marine environment, please visit You can also contact us at: Marine Conservation Society Unit 3, Wolf Business Park Alton Road Ross-on-Wye Herefordshire HR9 5NB Tel: Fax: info@mcsuk.org Marine turtles are particularly at risk, as they feed on marine creatures that float at the surface, like jellyfish. Leatherback, loggerhead, Kemp s ridley, green and hawksbill turtles have all been recorded in UK and Irish waters, and leatherbacks visit British waters every summer to feed on jellyfish. All these turtle species are known to ingest marine litter, perhaps mistaking it for their jellyfish prey. Experiments in the USA showed that captive loggerheads fed with small pieces of latex balloon took up to four months to pass the fragments. During this time they experienced flotation abnormalities and their blood-sugar levels dropped. Sadly, ingestion can also lead to death. The juvenile green References: Burchette D.K A study of the effect of balloons releases on the environment. Coe, J.M. and Rogers, D.B Marine Debris Sources, Impacts and Solutions. Springer-Verlag, New York, Inc MMSC Marine mammals and sea turtles that stranded after ingesting or becoming entangled in man-made items. Unpublished report, May 1989 by the Marine Mammal Stranding Centre (MMSC), New Jersey, USA Coe, J.M. and Rogers, D.B Marine Debris Sources, Impacts and Solutions. Springer-Verlag, New York, Inc Walker and Coe Common Dolphin Shaver, DJ & Plotkin, PT Marine debris ingestion by sea turtles in South Texas: Pre- and post MARPOL Annex V. In Byles, R & Y Fernandez (compilers) Proceedings of the Sixteenth Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-412, 158pp. Coe, J.M. and Rogers, D.B Marine Debris Sources, Impacts and Solutions. Springer-Verlag, New York, Inc - U.S. Natl. Mus (cited in Walker & Coe 1990) A. Collet, personal communication - Risso Coe, J.M. and Rogers, D.B Marine Debris Sources, Impacts and Solutions. Springer-Verlag, New York, Inc Day 1980; Robards et al., Chapter 6, Coe and Rogers; Bourne 1976; Van Franeker 1985; Moser and Lee 1992 Northern fulmars. Lutz P Studies on the ingestion of plastic and latex by sea turtles. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conferences on Marine Debris. Penrose, R.S. UK and Eire Turtle Strandings & Sightings Annual Report Marine Environmental Monitoring Beachwatch 2005 The annual Beach litter Survey Report Marine Conservation Society. International Coastal Cleanup 2004 Andrady A.L Plastics and their impacts in the marine environment. In proceedings of the International Marine Debris Conference on Derelict Fishing Gear and the Ocean Environment. DOUG PERRINE/SEAPICS.COM GRAEME CRESSWELL/BREATTAKINGWHALES.COM to wildlife. Balloons and marine litter such as plastic, discarded rope, fishing nets and other marine debris have been shown to kill marine wildlife. Entangled animals The MCS campaign pack has been funded by Dolphins, whales, turtles, seabirds and other animals have all been harmed or killed either by swallowing balloons or becoming entangled in balloon ribbons and string. Project Aware Foundation (International) and the Crown Estate Case study: marine turtles turtle pictured below washed up dead on a beach near Blackpool in The post-mortem revealed that the turtle s digestive tract was completely blocked by marine debris, including a large fragment of blue latex balloon. The blockage led to the turtle starving to death. COVER IMAGE: BALLOONS/CORBIS Copyright MCS/2006 Registered charity number: RICHARD HARRINGTON/MCS ALTERRA/VAN FRANEKER Balloons and marine litter pose a serious threat The largest ever balloon release was 1.4 million balloons. This may have resulted in 140,000 intact balloons and millions of pieces of balloon falling back to earth. Most people have not considered the fate of balloons released into the environment. Studies suggest that most of these balloons rise to high altitude and burst into tiny fragments, but 10% will not burst and can be carried in the air for long distances. Any partially inflated, whole balloons as well as burst balloon fragments, will float back down to earth posing a serious threat to wildlife. GILL BELL/MCS FACTSHEET What happens to balloons after they are released? Protecting our seas, shores and wildlife - now and for future generations.

6 Understanding balloons RICHARD HARRINGTON/MCS Balloon types Latex (rubber) balloons are made of natural latex rubber and will therefore biodegrade over a number of months or years. Tying balloons Balloons can be tied with cotton string, which will eventually biodegrade, but most balloons are now tied with plastic ribbon which persists in the marine environment and can entangle animals. During mass balloon releases, the balloons are often tied with a plastic valve that will never biodegrade and may also pose a threat to wildlife. GILL BELL/MCS Mylar (foil) balloons are made of silver foil and it is unknown how many years they will take to break down, but they may never fully biodegrade. Alterra - van Franeker Filling balloons Balloons can be filled with either air or helium. MCS recommends that balloons are always air-filled. Accidentally released, air-filled balloons are relatively easy to retrieve, whereas heliumfilled balloons float upwards and disperse because helium is lighter than air. ALTERRA/VAN FRANEKER SAM FANSHAWE/MCS A lasting problem Beach litter surveys carried out during the Marine Conservation Society s Beachwatch project have shown that the number of balloons and balloon pieces found on UK beaches each year, has trebled since Who knows how many more are still at sea or on other beaches worldwide which aren t cleaned or surveyed? We know that balloons can travel great distances. A balloon released in the middle of the UK can find its way to the coast and far out to sea. The results of the US Ocean Conservancy s International Coastal Cleanup 2004 showed that over 63,000 balloons were collected on surveyed beaches worldwide. Latex balloons do biodegrade, with some studies suggesting that balloons degrade in about the same time as an oak leaf. But this can take up to 6 months to occur depending on environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity. Studies indicate that balloons floating in seawater deteriorate much slower than those exposed to air, with some balloons retaining their elasticity after 12 months. Even biodegradable latex balloons persist in the marine environment and will stay intact in a turtle s gut long enough to cause death by starvation. GILL BELL/MCS PETER RICHARDSON/MCS Balloons and the law It is illegal to litter under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990, with fines of up to 2,500 for each offence. Under this act it is an offence to drop or otherwise deposit litter in a public place and therefore releasing balloons should be viewed as an offence under this Act. However, released balloons are not currently defined as litter. In recognition of the threat posed to wildlife by balloons, mass balloon releases have been banned by several UK local authorities including South Hams District Council, Oxfordshire County Council and Shetland Islands Council. Mass balloon releases are also already banned in Florida, Virginia, Conneticut and Tennessee in the USA and New South Wales in Australia. JAMES GREENHALGH/MCS take action Use the information in this leaflet to campaign for a local ban on balloon releases in your area. Write to your local authority and tell them about the threats posed to wildlife by mass balloon releases. MCS guidelines for wildlife friendly balloon use You can enjoy balloons without harming wildlife. let go of balloons outdoors! Fill balloons with air rather than helium. Use balloons made of natural rubber latex rather than mylar (foil) balloons. When tying balloons use natural cotton string rather than plastic ribbon. CHRISTINE MCGUINNESS Securely tie any balloons that are used outside. Always hand tie balloons rather than using plastic valves. Sign up to the Go petition at For more information about joining MCS or to get involved in the Adopt-a-Beach project call us or visit Instead of releasing balloons into the environment why not try a wildlife friendly alternative? Prize balloon popping - air fill your balloons, and hide a few prize tickets inside. Release the balloons indoors and have everyone pop them to find prizes. Guess the number of balloons - run a competition before the balloon-pop, the closest guess wins. Balloon art - hire a balloon artist or, for the big, bold statement, try a giant air-filled-balloon sculpture. Balloon relay - each member of a team has to run a short distance and sit on a balloon to pop it before running back to tag the next member of the team. The first team to pop all their balloons wins! For more ideas, visit our website.

7 What happens to balloons after they are released? They float up and disappear from your thoughts... but not from the environment. + = Protecting our seas, shores and wildlife - now and for future generations. For information about the effects of balloon releases on the marine environment, please visit our website MCS/2006Registered charity no: The campaign pack was funded by Project Aware Foundation (International) and the Crown Estate Images: balloon release/corbis; fulmars and burst balloons/alterra - van Franeker; child with balloon/richard Harrington - MCS