A negative association between lithium in drinking water and the incidences of homicides, in Greece.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the association between lithium levels in the public water supply and incidences of homicide in Greece. A total of 149 samples of drinking water were collected from 34 out of 52 prefectures, and data for homicides were taken from National Statistic Service of Greece (Hellenic Statistical Authority - EL.STAT). The average lithium level was 11.10 µg/l (SD = 21.16). The results indicate that there is a tendency for lower mean number of homicides in the prefectures with high levels of lithium in drinking water (R(2) = 0.054, ß = -0.38, p = .004). Considering the results of our previous study, which showed an inverse association between the lithium levels in drinking water and the incidence of suicide, homicide, rape, and drug abuse, we suggest that natural lithium level intake may influence impulsiveness, a factor that mediate to the manifestation of both suicidality and aggressiveness.

Lithium in the public water supply and suicide mortality in Greece.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the association between lithium levels in the public water supply and prefecture-based suicide rates in Greece. Analyses were conducted with respect to lithium levels in 149 samples from 34 prefectures of Greece. The average lithium level was 11.10 µg/l (range 0.1 to 121 µg/l). The results indicate that there is a tendency for lower suicide rates in the prefectures with high levels of lithium in drinking water. Ecological studies explained by researchers Schrauzer and Shrestha have revealed the existence of statistically significant inverse associations between the lithium levels in drinking water and the incidence of suicides, homicides, rapes, possession of narcotic drugs, and in juveniles, the rates of runaway from home. Such a result of inverse relationship was not proven by Kabacs et al., most likely because the differences of the lithium levels in the selection of their case-control samples were not large enough. In addition, probably the selection of random regions in Japan and East England might have been biased. Thus, the addition of small amounts of lithium to the drinking water could provide an effective means to lower the incidence of these conditions in the general population. Furthermore, the nutritional importance of lithium in the form of the carbonate named lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) is currently still viewed primarily as a pharmacological agent. The study by Al-Chalabi et al. state that the therapeutic activity of lithium in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is worth investigating. Any drug that can be shown to slow the course of ALS in a clinically significant way and to be safe and well tolerated will be an important advance for patients with this disease.