Q&A for How to Suck in a Helium Balloon

Using a mylar (foil) balloon is actually safer for two reasons. First, it is easier to control how much helium you get. Second, there is no talcum powder inside the balloon.

Only a few seconds.

Unlike a balloon, which has a very slight pressure difference from your lungs, a helium tank is under high pressure. If you inhale directly from a tank, you're forcing a lot of helium into your lungs, which is bad for many reasons. It can cause your lungs to become overinflated and even possibly rupture (tear open) and you will quickly lose the oxygen in your lungs and blood, causing you to suffocate, which can lead to unconsciousness, brain damage, or even death. Not a good idea.

You suck the area from where the helium is escaping.This could be the balloon's regular opening or a hole you've poked.

Oxygen doesn't work because it's what we breathe in everyday. If we breathed in oxygen and it made a funny voice, we would have funny voices forever.

Yes, it does. Helium is lighter than air, so it will float away if you let it go.

No, you just inhale it, and that will make your voice higher.

You may be sucking in more oxygen than helium. The balloon you choose must be filled with helium to feel the effects.

It truly doesn't matter, but it is easier to control the flow of the helium if it is near the knot as you can pinch the hole to stop the helium and release to allow it to flow again.

Yes, but it's so unlikely, unless you have certain breathing problems or you have symptoms they listed like suffocation and strokes.

Helium makes your vocal cords vibrate faster, which results in a high tone. The details are found on the paragraph before the instructions.

Sulfur hexafluoride will make your voice deeper. You won't generally find this in balloons, though. If you want to talk more slowly, just talk more slowly. You control that.

That's not a good idea because your brain can go for only 5-6 seconds without oxygen before the situation becomes dangerous.

No, you don't swallow it. You just breathe it in like you would breathe in air.

There isn't, but if you're really young (under 10), you should ask your parents beforehand. They may want to be nearby.

Go inside and let go of the balloon, if it floats up to the ceiling it is helium. If it does not float, it isn't helium.

A lighter-than-oxygen gas, helium actually allows sound to move faster through your vocal cords, causing the perception of higher-frequency sound.