Food preservative linked to increase in suicides, study finds
More than half the cases in each generational grouping were men. 87% of the cases showed extremely high concentrations of nitrite. Picture: iStock
A widely-used food preservative has been linked to a recent uptick in suicides in Ireland and the UK, with researchers calling for an urgent review of public access to nitrite.
The findings are based on a review of cases from Ireland and the UK submitted to the only laboratory in Britain that analyses postmortem samples for nitrite and its oxidised metabolite, nitrate. The study was conducted by researchers from eight British colleges and institutions.
The study analysed data submitted by coroners, forensic pathologists, and police forces from March 2019 to August 2024.
Of the 164 cases examined, most were from England's south‑east and midlands, as well as from Ireland.
The average age was 28, with 71% of cases involving people from Gen-Z and millennials, while 4% of cases involved people aged under 18.
More than half the cases in each generational grouping were men. Overall there were 109 men compared to 52 women.
The paper said that 87% of cases showed extremely high concentrations of the substance, indicating it had been ingested intentionally
Lead researcher Amrita Ahluwalia said: “What our research shows is deeply upsetting.
“But it makes clear why urgent steps are needed to regulate access to this chemical and to reduce the spread of harmful information about it online.”
A HSE spokeswoman said Irish data on methods associated with self-harm, including suicide, are drawn from State registries.
“These data sources are complex, and currently the HSE is not aware of any verifiable information on changes in the levels of use of these particular chemicals, in incidents of self-harm or suicide in Ireland,” she said.
She said a programme to “restrict access to means and methods of suicide and self-harm” will be part of a new strategy to reduce suicide and self-harm.
“This will include consideration of these chemicals, and many other specific means, and the evidence of their use,” she said.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland said “it is not the regulated usage of these food additives in food which is implicated in the publication”.
A spokeswoman said: “Only specific salt forms of nitrite and nitrate are approved for use as food additives in the EU.”
• The study, 'Retrospective cohort analysis of nitrite and nitrate levels in postmortem biological samples after suspected suicide, 2019-24', is published in the journal .
- Niamh Griffin, Health Correspondent
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