Researchers have linked sodium nitrite, a chemical used to preserve food, to a recent increase in suicide deaths in the UK, according to ScienceDaily and a study published in BMJ Public Health.
The analysis reviewed cases submitted for postmortem testing between March 2019 and August 2024. Over that period, the laboratory received 274 samples tied to 201 suspected cases of deliberate or accidental poisoning across the UK, Ireland and Gibraltar.
Among the cases included in the final analysis, the average age was 28, and most involved younger generations. Men accounted for more cases than women, and researchers said 87% of blood tests showed nitrite and nitrate levels 100 times higher than expected, suggesting intentional ingestion.
The researchers said the findings point to an urgent need to reconsider unrestricted access to sodium nitrite and to address online material that explains how the chemical can be obtained and used. They also suggested that ambulances could carry antidote kits as a fast, cost-effective response to poisoning.
