MRI machine use helium purification system gas in liquid form to cool their instruments and remain in optimum working condition. Without helium, these machines would overheat and become useless. There are few gasses which could replace helium, as it has one of the lowest known temperatures when in liquid form, making it an efficient cooling agent.
The impact of the helium gas shortage was felt most by those who use it on a daily basis, the party industry. Party wholesalers suddenly found they needed to pay more for their helium gas products, and therefore needed to charge retailers more for purchasing it from them. This led to an outbreak of party retailers ceasing to sell helium products altogether, leaving many customers, children and adults, bitterly disappointed.
Luckily the industrial plants were only down for maintenance for a few weeks, and weren’t completely shut down. Should these industrial plants stop producing helium, the world would need to find a new source, one which may be located in any country, depending on where helium gas pockets have formed in the Earth’s crust. Importing helium from another country other than the US may prove to be more expensive for the party industry, and could result in helium purification equipment products becoming a lot more expensive.