A shiny balloon, utility officials say. "We have thousands of these outages every year — it's a big problem," a spokesperson for Southern California Edison (SCE) told CBS MoneyWatch.

Power outages caused by the shiny floating balloons cost customers too, an IID news release said. Since 2022, it estimated costs at hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment damage, ...

In “What’s helium-filled, foil — and harmless?” Terri Adishian says it’s unnecessary to ban helium-filled foil balloons. Tell that to 2,000 residents of Menlo Park. On March 24, they ...

The shiny, foil Mylar balloons never break down, only becoming smaller pieces of plastic. The standard latex balloon is biodegradable but takes several months to break down.

New Orleans, known for its celebrations and festive spirit, is now banning the release of metallic balloons – a decision that follows repeated disruption to the city’s electrical services and ...

The balloon release at the Indy 500 is a good reminder of how bad they are for the environment. ... Sea turtles are at special risk because the balloons’ form, shiny Mylar material, ...

But those shiny balloons, which can be bought at any party store, result in up to 80 power outages every year in the Phoenix area when they come in contact with power lines, ...

New Orleans, known for its celebrations and festive spirit, is now banning the release of metallic balloons – a decision that follows repeated disruption to the city's electrical services and ...

Mourners release balloons at a vigil for a police officer in New Orleans in June 2015. New Orleans, known for its celebrations and festive spirit, is now banning the release of metallic balloons.