In a recent Sound Off defending the balloon release for Garrett Phillips on Oct. 24 it was cited that balloons degrade faster than an oak leaf. The writer actually says “at about the same rate”, but there’s a critical different between a latex balloon and the latter. All sorts of animals find the strands and whole pieces of balloon that inevitably fall from the sky tempting to eat. Sorry, they only make it a minimum of 5 miles high and I am guessing heaven’s a bit further. Unlike an oak leaf, balloons will get lodged in the throat of whatever tries to eat it and cause suffocation or severe digestive issues that can lead to suffering and eventually death. Additionally, latex degrades much slower in water. Turtles and certain fish have been known to try and eat these floating pieces as well. Please, use the internet, search for an alternative way to memorialize this tragedy without harming anything else in the process.