Is there a “lack of helium” or is there a competition for valuable uses of helium? MRI seems to use about 13% of annual helium production. 12,000 * 10,000 / 12

Is there a “lack of helium” or is there a competition for valuable uses of helium? MRI seems to use about 13% of annual helium production. 12,000 * 10,000 / 12.8 = 9,375,000/year [0] 1 cubic meter = 1,000 liters 9,375 (MRI) / 73,000,000 (Total production [1]) = 0.1284 At any point, an MRI machine contains about 2,000 liters of liquid helium, though suppliers need to replenish any helium that boils off. Mahesh estimates that an MRI machine uses 10,000 liters of liquid helium over its life span. (According to GE Healthcare, a manufacturer of the machines, that life span is 12.8 years.) In 2015, there were roughly 12,000 machines in the U.S., making MRIs one of the biggest helium consumers in the world, far above balloon stores. 0. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/helium-shortage-doctors-are-worried-running-element-threaten-mris-rcna52978 https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/helium-shortage-d... Helium production in the United States totaled 73 million cubic meters in 2014. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium_production_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium_production_in_the_Unite...