My friend and colleague, Professor Aviv Amirav at Tel Aviv University in Israel, makes the case in his Advanced GC-MS Blog Journal that the helium shortage that has GC-MS users and vendors scrambling for alternate carrier gases such as hydrogen may not be a significant issue. Read his compelling argument, which includes excellent explanations of the issues surrounding the use of nitrogen and hydrogen as carrier gases for GC-MS, here: Helium Shortage and Hydrogen as a Carrier Gas for GC-MS.
And while you’re at it, check out his other fascinating posts on a variety of subjects, including the use of Supersonic Molecular Beams for mass spectrometry.