We just got this Force Majeure letter today from AirGas, our helium supplier (for our food science lab, where we have multiple mass-spec instruments that use helium).
— HealthRanger (@HealthRanger) April 1, 2026
The letter says that helium supplies are cut off, and if you're lucky, you might be allotted HALF the helium you… pic.twitter.com/QDPzmpChts
We just got this Force Majeure letter today from AirGas, our helium supplier (for our food science lab, where we have multiple mass-spec instruments that use helium).Yup.
The letter says that helium supplies are cut off, and if you're lucky, you might be allotted HALF the helium you need. Even then, you will be charged extra for any helium you get. A LOT extra.
So basically, every mass spec lab in America is about to go offline. AirGas is expressly invoking FM and saying they cannot meet their contractual obligations. Not their fault. Trump did this by attacking Iran.
My lab is fine, of course, because I saw this coming and I ordered my lab staff to buy a one-year supply weeks ago. We already have it in place. So we're still up and running with plenty of helium.
But very few lab science people are paying attention to the Strait of Hormuz, so they are getting blindsided by this.
Trump's war is shutting down science labs all across the country right now. Don't dare call this "winning." It's a loss for America. And the world.
Surprisingly to some, the range of applications for helium goes well beyond birthday balloons, with the gas also a key input in chip making, medical imaging and space technology.Let’s blame Europe. Because Trump is the dumbest, most dangerous motherfucker on the planet. And we elected him POTUS. Twice.
Qatar supplies a third of the world’s helium, which passes through the strait, but the nation has been forced to halt production after war broke out, with the nation’s state-owned gas company saying that strikes on energy infrastructure would further cripple exports.
Helium is also deemed tricky to transport as it is stored in insulated containers for 35 to 48 days as a liquid.
After this time frame, molecules start to warm up and escape, becoming a gas once more and escape, meaning those stuck in the strait are quickly losing value and damaging the supply chain.
Helium is essential for manufacturing semiconductors, including the chips used in artificial intelligence models, and a shrinking supply could have a knock on effect for leading technology stocks who are already fighting fears of a potential AI bubble.
Other uses
Elsewhere, the medical technology industry uses helium in MRI machines to cool magnets, while the space industry uses the gas to purge rocket fuel tanks.
Its demand within the space industry is expected to grow as more private companies enter the fray, with both Elon Musk’s Space X and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin planning more frequent launches of their vehicles.
Thomas Abraham-James, founder and chief executive of Pulsar Helium, said: “What makes this particularly alarming is that the crisis presents not one problem for helium markets but two.
“Even where physical infrastructure remains intact, the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz means that no product can reach market until hostilities cease.
“Qatar’s helium, used in everything from semiconductor fabrication and MRI machines to fibre optics and space launch vehicles, is therefore simultaneously impaired by structural plant damage on one hand and an export blockade on the other.
“Should the Strait reopen and tensions de-escalate, limited volumes may resume within weeks, but meaningful supply normalisation is likely months away at best and full restoration of damaged capacity years away.”
What the hell is wrong with us?
This is our country's mind on TV.
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