In mid-March, the world's largest fossil gas terminal, Ras Laffan in Qatar, was hit by Iranian drones and missiles. The facility is also central to helium, with the country accounting for a third of global production.
The attack, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has led to a helium crisis.
The noble gas is a niche product, but in some areas it is critical. Helium can be cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero. It is needed to cool the special wires used to generate strong magnetic fields, which are required in everything from MRI scanners to pharmaceutical manufacturing.
"If we run out of liquid helium, the MRI magnet could be damaged beyond repair," Sophia Hayes, a professor of chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis, said in an email.
Needed in the tech industry
Helium is also required to flush the manufacturing chambers where semiconductors are made, which have extremely high purity requirements.
"During the last helium shortage, there were anecdotes about entire semiconductor manufacturing lines being forced to close at some companies," Hayes says.
At the Cryocenter at Uppsala University, helium is purchased in gaseous form and liquefied; the liquid is used to test equipment for particle accelerators.
"It is the only coolant that can get us to the low temperatures we need," says Maja Olvegård, researcher and head of the Freia Laboratory.
"We then supply the entire university and other external customers with helium. Many researchers in Uppsala use liquid helium to cool various preparations or as detectors," Olvegård says.
The shortage is clearly visible at the center. The price from the supplier has more than doubled in one fell swoop.
"They have also informed us that they are declaring force majeure, meaning that even though we have an agreement that they must deliver, they may not be able to deliver because they, in turn, cannot get hold of helium," Olvegård says.
Disappearing from the planet
During the 21st century, the world has been hit by several helium crises. Sophia Hayes chose to forgo her salary one summer to be able to buy the substance for her research. She believes that helium should be seen as a valuable resource. If it leaks - as it often does - it leaves the planet.
"Every now and then we have had to give up doctoral students because the price of helium continues to rise. Most of us are unsure how we will cope when the cost is ten times higher than it used to be," Hayes says.
Helium is the second most common element in the universe, but on Earth it is relatively uncommon.
On Earth, it is formed through radioactive decay and stored in pockets in fossil gas deposits.
It is also the second lightest element after hydrogen, but unlike hydrogen, helium has difficulty reacting with other substances. When released freely, it disappears into space.
Helium can be cooled to near absolute zero and is used to achieve superconductivity in particle accelerators and in magnetic resonance imaging. It is also used in chip manufacturing and balloons.
190 million cubic meters were produced last year, most of it in the United States (81 million) and Qatar (63).
Sources: NPR, USGS
