‘Pet Pals TV’: No more Indianapolis 500 balloon release
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Each and every week, Pet Pals TV shares a fun, interesting and informative story about our four-legged and furry friend population.
This week, Patty Spitler, the host of “Pet Pals TV,” was joined by Gabriel Filippelli, professor of earth sciences, to talk to an expert about environmental concerns relating to the Indianapolis 500 balloon release.
“Balloons end up killing, they’re 30 times more lethal than the normal plastic inside of organisms because I think a little piece of plastic to block your stomach, for example, an animal dog stomach and it has to be going in exactly the right way. Balloons because they’re soft and pliable, they just kind of stretch and block the entire opening like some kind of horrible surgical device,” Filippelli said. “So even though there’s only about something like two percent of plastics out there are balloons, they kill 32 times more than wildlife.”
“Can I tell you the worst, Mylar balloons, you know those metal balloons that are filled with helium, that kids have at big events. “Instead of other balloons are latex, Mylar balloons are just kind of a thick size and you blow them up with helium and that Mylar lives forever,” Filippelli said.
The Indianapolis 500 balloon release will no longer be a tradition due to the environmental concerns.