Lithium concentrations in drinking water

Commentary: Lithium in Drinking Water and Suicide Mortality

Lithium in drinking water and suicide mortality.

BACKGROUND There is some evidence that natural levels of lithium in drinking water may have a protective effect on suicide mortality. AIMS To evaluate the association between local lithium levels in drinking water and suicide mortality at district level in Austria. METHOD A nationwide sample of 6460 lithium measurements was examined for association with suicide rates per 100,000 population ...

Lithium in Drinking Water and Thyroid Function

BACKGROUND High concentrations of lithium in drinking water were previously discovered in the Argentinean Andes Mountains. Lithium is used worldwide for treatment of bipolar disorder and treatment-resistant depression. One known side effect is altered thyroid function. OBJECTIVES We assessed associations between exposure to lithium from drinking water and other environmental sources and thyro...

Relationships of local lithium concentrations in drinking water to regional suicide rates in Italy.

OBJECTIVES Higher natural concentrations of lithium in drinking water may be associated with lower local rates of suicide. METHODS Lithium concentrations in drinking water were assayed by mass spectrometry at 145 sites in Italy, and compared with reported local suicide rates for men and women between 1980 and 2011. RESULTS Lithium concentrations in drinking water averaged 5.28 [CI: 4.08-6.4...

Low risk of male suicide and lithium in drinking water.

OBJECTIVE Recently, several epidemiologic studies reported that lithium in drinking water may be associated with lower rates of suicide mortality at the population level, but other studies failed to confirm the association. The objective of the present study is to determine whether lithium in drinking water is associated with lower suicide rate after adjustment of potential confounding factors....