A bipartisan bill to prevent the early closure of the Federal Helium Reserve has passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 394 to 1, according to the Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA).
Passage of HR 527, the Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act, was led by bill co-sponsors Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA) and Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA).
"The House vote to preserve our domestic helium supply is essential to protecting American patients' access to lifesaving medical imaging technologies, which are manufactured and operated with the use of helium," said Gail Rodriguez, executive director of MITA.
Helium is a key component in the creation and operation of medical imaging equipment such as MRI scanners, MITA stated. Liquid helium is the only element that can feasibly cool MRI magnets to temperatures suitable for imaging; thus, scanners must be regularly replenished with helium to maintain normal operating temperatures.
A Senate version of the bill has also been introduced. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013 (S 783), also intended to preserve access to the Federal Helium Reserve.
