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A chemical widely used as a food preservative may be linked to a recent increase in suicide deaths in the UK, with young people and males accounting for most of the reported cases, according to a new study.
The study, published in the open-access journal BMJ Public Health, analysed available data from 2019 to 2024 and identified a growing number of deaths involving sodium nitrite poisoning.
Researchers said the findings raise concerns about easy access to sodium nitrite and called for urgent public health measures to reduce the risk of further preventable deaths.
Suicide rates in the UK have generally fallen since the early 1990s. However, researchers said there have been signs of an increase in recent years, while reports from several countries have highlighted suicides involving sodium nitrite poisoning.
For the study, researchers reviewed cases sent to the UK’s main laboratory for postmortem testing of nitrite and nitrate. The samples were submitted by coroners, forensic pathologists and police forces between March 2019 and August 2024.
The laboratory received 274 samples linked to 201 suspected cases of deliberate or accidental poisoning across the UK, Ireland and Gibraltar. After obtaining approval from coroners, researchers included 164 cases in their final analysis.
The number of cases increased considerably after 2019, when the laboratory first began receiving samples for nitrite and nitrate testing.
Young people and men made up a particularly large proportion of the cases. The average age was 28, while ages ranged from 14 to 82.
Of the 161 cases for which sex was recorded, 109 involved males and 52 involved females. About 71% of all cases involved younger generations.
Researchers also found very high levels of nitrite and nitrate in blood samples. In 87% of cases, the levels were more than 100 times higher than would normally be expected in the body.
The researchers said the unusually high concentrations were consistent with intentional ingestion in many of the cases.
They cautioned that the geographical pattern of reported cases should be interpreted carefully, as differences in awareness among coroners and testing practices could have influenced where cases were detected.
The researchers said the findings highlight the need to review unrestricted access to sodium nitrite and consider measures that could help prevent further deaths.
