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.