Dangers of mylar balloons

Mylar balloons, used to celebrate everything from births to anniversaries, pose a hazardous risk if they come into contact with high-voltage power lines. To show what can happen, the department of electrical engineering at Temple performed a demonstration. "The balloon is going to come up and create a short circuit between the main power line and the return ground line and it's going to cause the spark and short out the system," said electrical engineering graduate student Matt Bosack. "Anytime there's an exposed power line on the ground, you should stay clear of it because it's very dangerous given the high voltages involved," added electrical engineering chair Joseph Picone.
May 18, 2011 | Fox29