The following article first appeared in the November/December 1997 issue of the Magic Menu. The Magic Menu is a bi-monthly magazine for restaurant entertainers. For subscription info, contact jsisti@ibm.net.
I'm going to take a step back from my usual discussion of performance ideas with balloons and address something else that's been a huge source of discussion lately. That's the issue of safety with balloons. While this has been a concern of mine for a while, it was an article in our local paper that really irritated me. It wasn't so much the article itself, but the concerned parents that started calling me and cancelling shows because they were afraid their kids would end up dying as a result of my performance. My first response was to write a letter to the paper in an effort to get a corrected article printed. I failed at that, but have since been ready to explain to parents on the phone just what the situation is as I understand it. Only a few weeks ago, I was a bit thrown off by a phone call from a latex glove manufacturer that was now trying to compare notes with latex users in other fields because he was facing similar problems. I hope the info here prepares a few more people for the inevitable questions you'll get.
It is true that, if mistreated, a balloon can be deadly. However, I am unaware of any statistics that can back the claim stated in our newspaper that balloons are the No. 2 cause of choking deaths in children. I believe the recent rash of fear was started with a December 1995 article in the Journal of the AMA. The article classified balloons as conforming objects, comparable to other items found in households with children, such as disposable diaper stuffing. The article then went on to conclude that since these conforming, non-food items are a danger, balloons alone are a serious health threat.
If we look specifically at choking deaths directly related to balloons, we get a different picture. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports choking deaths from balloons between 1973 and 1994 to be between 4 and 16 a year. More recent years, since the public has been made more aware of the potential dangers, all show numbers on the lower end of the scale. This seems to indicate that education about balloons, rather than their avoidance, is sufficient to protect against choking. I agree that even 4 deaths a year is 4 too many, but to put it in perspective, compare that to 288 children that die each year in accidents with tricycles and bicycles.
My reason for writing this is not to spread the word that balloons can never be a hazard, but to try to put an end to the false information being spread that is causing an unnecessary fear in parents. Parents do need to pay as much attention to a child playing with a balloon as with any other toy. As entertainers using balloons, we have to take every precaution we can. One of the precautions I take is to inform children of the dangers of putting balloons in mouths. They'd rather follow the instructions they're given than risk having a balloon taken away.
What may be a much more serious concern of late is the growing number of reported latex allergies. Allergic reactions can vary from mild skin irritation to anaphylactic shock. Indeed, the seriousness of a reaction is great. I'm not convinced the fear expressed is justified, but this is something to look out for. The fact is that once a person becomes sensitized to latex, any contact can be dangerous.
Based on material that I've read and discussions I've had, it seems that many doctors that are using latex gloves regularly are having a greater number of reactions. Patients that have undergone more than their fair share of surgery are also likely to show signs of allergic reactions. If frequent contact is the culprit, it would appear that balloon twisters would also be a high risk group. That's not the case. I'd still urge caution to anyone noticing skin irritation regularly when using balloons, however there is a difference in the manufacture of the two latex products. The allergy is triggered by exposure to the proteins in latex. Those proteins are leached from the latex to a higher degree in the production of balloons. (Many glove manufactures are now also leaching their products for a longer time.)
Both of these issues, choking and latex allergies, are potentially very serious problems. But from my perspective, the seriousness is more in the fear of potential clients than in the likelihood of encountering the health issues themselves. The best thing to do is to be aware of the issues and to be prepared to educate the people that express their concerns. Watch where broken balloon scraps go, keep an eye out for strange rashes on your skin, and believe anyone that tells you they're allergic to latex. If you do those things, you can enjoy balloons and not worry about them.