Sellers of toy and novelty balloons in Utah are promoting safety in order to head off attempts to restrict the industry.
Those who have come to rely on balloon bouquets for cheerful, inexpensive gifts are probably not aware of laws in other states restricting sales.A new law in California regulates the sale of helium-filled metallic balloons made of mylar and frequently placed at the center of balloon bunches.
The balloons are popular, retailers say, because they carry messages like "Happy birthday" and "I love you" and stay afloat longer than latex balloons filled with helium.
Metallic balloons often are attached to matching metallic strings or ribbons. When they escape and get tangled in power lines, they can conduct electricity and cause power outages. The California law is aimed at preventing such mishaps.
Dale Florio, a spokesman for the Balloon Council, a Washington, D.C.-based coalition of balloon manufacturers, distributors and retailers, said that Virginia, Florida and Tennessee also have passed laws restricting balloon sales.
Some are fashioned after the California law, while others restrict the practice of purposefully releasing non-biodegradable balloons during celebrations.
Legislation is being considered in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New Jersey and New York, while anti-balloon bills failed this year in Washington, Oregon, Maine and Rhode Island, Florio said.
"We've been surprised to find that as balloons have become more visible and more popular, we suddenly have some people who are trying to say they're bad," he said. "We're willing to acknowledge that there are responsible ways to use any product, but we're also kind of curious to know what all the fuss is about."
Both Florio and a spokesman for the state Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel said Utah lawmakers have never tried to regulate the balloon industry. But that hasn't stopped northern Utah retailers from doing some self-regulation.
Ken Giles, a spokesman for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in Washington, D.C., said balloons are the leading cause of suffocation death in children.