Balloons are a symbol of celebration. People love to release colorful balloons for special events, such as festivals and ceremonies. Colorful balloons may look pretty, but they can bring about some serious problems.
After balloons are released, they can end up hundreds of kilometers away from where they were released, causing great harm to the environment and wildlife. It is well known that popular helium(氦) balloons can travel up to 800 km before the helium releases and balloons fall to earth. This means they can fly almost everywhere, including waterways, oceans, mountains and farmlands.
Well, in our daily life, there are two types of balloons in general use. Most of the balloons we use are latex (乳胶) balloons. In fact, it will take them six months to four years to decompose(分解) and they can cause pollution before they do.The other one is Mylar balloons. They are a kind of plastic balloons which cannot be decomposed and can stay in the environment forever. Similar to plastic bags, the Mylar balloons break into smaller pieces in the sun. Besides the balloons themselves, the ribbons, which are used for tying balloons, are also made of plastic.
All of these materials, if littered, can add to the number of plastic waste in our environment. At the same time, it can result in the injury or death of animals. Balloons may break up into smaller pieces over time. Sea animals, such as whales, turtles and seabirds, often mistake them for food, and if eaten, those small pieces can make them hard to breathe and then cause them to die. Besides,they can also easily get themselves caught together tightly in balloon ribbons. Even worse, it has been found that some birds are collecting balloon pieces, thinking that they're food, and even feeding them to their babies.
So, don't release balloons any more so as to reduce the pollution and protect animals. Every small step we take can make the world better, healthier and cleaner.
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