Don’t Let Me Go

A risograph-printed accordion zine printed about the invisible impacts of latex balloons on the environment based on scientific research.

Releasing balloons to the environment contributes to the existing issue of plastic pollution and poses a threat to animal and human health. Balloon litter is prevalent even on remote beaches, which shows the impact of improper disposal of balloons. These balloons are often found with plastic ribbons still attached to them, which pose a threat of entanglement to wildlife. When balloons land in the ocean, they are often mistaken as food by sea creatures such as marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds.

Balloons are often marketed as biodegradable, but in reality, there is no one degradation process of latex balloons and they do not easily degrade in multiple environmental conditions as the polymers require specific conditions to break down.

Click here to read my scientific research paper on this issue.