Hydrogen release from various elastomers upon irradiation with H+, He+ and Ar+ ions has been studied using nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) method. A massive loss of hydrogen atoms upon irradiation has been noted, the results point to the saturation of hydrogen content at about 10 at.%. The analysis of the experimental data indicates that the hydrogen release is controlled by inelastic collisions between ions and target electrons. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.