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Scientists Say Lithium Should Be Added to Drinking Water to Prevent Suicides
- t4skf0rc3 6y agoWe Happy Few
- jfengel 6y agoThe idea has been around for a while[1]. I'm a bit surprised that there isn't a major supplement market. It exists, but I don't see a major brand of lithium-added bottled water. [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/opinion/sunday/should-we-all-take-a-bit-of-lithium.html https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/opinion/sunday/should-we-...
- eesmith 6y agoYou ain't kidding about "for a while". A Google Scholar search found "Pure Water for Drinking: A Review of Essential and Toxic Metals in Health and Disease" from 1983 which says: > Dawson at the University of Texas has found that admissions to state mental hospitals and homicide and suicide rates correlated inversely with the lithium content of drinking water (40). He espouses the extremely controversial view that it be added to the drinking water up to the level of that occurring naturally in other waters with a high lithium content. (40) is: DAWSON, E. B., FIEVE, R. and SHEARD, M. L.: Shall We Add Lithium to Drinking Water? In Water, Its Effects on Life Quality. Proceedings Seventh Water Quality Symposium 47-52, 1974. Google Scholar says 3 sources cite it, but that it's only known via a citation.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- vanusa 6y agoThe article describes an apparent positive correlation between naturally occurring lithium in drinking water and lower suicide rates. Nowhere does it say that Li "should be added" to drinking water supplies to achieve these lower rates.