A meat-curing agent sold in a highly potent form online is connected to a rising number of suicides around the world.
In a new study from the United Kingdom, postmortem samples from 201 suspected suicides found that 87% involved nitrate or nitrite levels 100 times higher than normally found in the body.
Of those cases, 68% were men. Seventy-one percent were Gen Z or Millennials.
Nitrate and nitrites can be found in soil, air and water, but are often produced in labs for agricultural use and as a stabilizer in consumer products.
In a 2024 report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at least 768 suicides from 2018 to July 2023 in the United States involved antidotes and chelating agents, including sodium nitrite.
While that number represents less than 1% of all suicides here, the CDC’s report said cases were rising.
Last year, a National Institutes of Health study suggested that sodium nitrite’s availability online, combined with guidance on how to use it for self-harm, is a global public health problem.
The type of nitrites and nitrates that concern government officials are far more potent than those used in meat preservation. Ingested in high concentrations, nitrite renders blood unable to carry oxygen, suffocating organs.
The government reports say the issue of easily procured nitrites and nitrates merits immediate attention. First responders, nurses and doctors need to be alert to possible nitrite poisoning. Parents and loved ones need to know what is being ordered online. Forensic pathologists need better testing tools.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 for help.