Balloons may be a party staple for many, but the inflated orbs can have a cruel impact on the environment — and one professional diver is using TikTok to spread awareness of the issue.
While on a recent ocean cleanup in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, founder of Kaimana Ocean Safari Kayleigh Grant (@mermaid.kayleigh) came across a deflated balloon floating in the ocean, inspiring her to post a PSA on TikTok. The sight, she said in the video, isn't uncommon given the prevalence of balloon releases and balloons as common party decorations.
@mermaid.kayleigh Balloons should really be banned completely and/or only allowed indoors in my opinion. When you release balloons or even throw away trash there really is no "away". Balloons end up in nature on both land & sea & can harm wildlife. There are so many other beautiful ways to honor a person or special event. I always think flowers set a beautiful scene & there are plenty of beautiful paper decor options. On this day we were able to leave the waters of Cabo a little cleaner. I have found myself back in this beautiful part of the world & cant wait to share what I see! 🙏🏼🩵 #balloonrelease #balloonsblow #ocean #cleanuptheocean #mexico ♬ Stuff We Did (from 'Up') - Piano Version - your movie soundtrack
"Balloons should really be banned completely and/or only allowed indoors in my opinion," Grant wrote in the video caption. "When you release balloons or even throw away trash, there is really no 'away.' Balloons end up in nature on both land & sea & can harm wildlife."
"There are actually only a few places where purposefully releasing balloons is illegal," Grant said in the video. "It really should be illegal everywhere, as it is littering."
According to the Ocean Conservation Society, balloons are among the top 10 types of debris found during coastal cleanups — and the prevalence of balloon pollution has tripled in the last decade.
The impacts on marine animals can be devastating. Balloons can easily be mistaken for food, causing illness or even death when ingested. Marine animals can also become entangled in balloon strings, causing injury or death. In fact, balloons cause more deaths in seabirds than any other source of marine debris.
But the negative impacts of balloons extend further than that. The plastics in mylar balloons — the shiny foil-like balloons shown in Grant's video — never actually biodegrade, according to the Ocean Conservation Society. Mylar balloons only break down into smaller and smaller particles called microplastics, which pollute air, water, and soil.
Latex balloons aren't any better. They are the most common balloon type found in the stomachs of dead marine animals.
The Ocean Conservation Society recommends replacing balloons with "flags, kites, pinwheels, ribbon dancers, banners, candles and luminaries, tissue paper pompoms" and other reusable decor. You can also make a positive impact by participating in trash cleanups.
"There are so many other beautiful ways to honor a person or a special event," Grant wrote in the TikTok caption. "I always think flowers set a beautiful scene & there are plenty of beautiful paper decor options."
"Yes, thank you. This is blatant littering. Stop doing it," one commenter wrote in response to the video.
"I've seen videos of people helping out sea life because of trash and balloons," another commenter added. "Thanks for bringing awareness to this."
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