Helium is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table. It is named for the Greek God of the Sun, Helios. Helium is used as a shielding gas in arc welding processes on materials that at welding temperatures are contaminated and weakened by air or nitrogen.Liquid helium is used as a cryogenic refrigerant. It can also be used in superconducting magnets such as those used in MRI or NMR.

In 2004–2006, two additional plants, one in Ras Laffan, Qatar, and the other in Skikda, Algeria, were built, but as of early 2007, Ras Laffan is functioning at 50%, and Skikda has yet to start up. For many years the United States produced over 90% of commercially usable helium in the world, while extraction plants in Canada, Poland, Russia, and other nations produced the remainder. Because it is lighter than air, airships and balloons are inflated with helium for lift.

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