There is almost sure enough lithium in your body of water released by the rocks it passed over to reach the dam . concentration vary enormously ( from 0.1- 600 μg / L ) count on where you live , and a new subject area reports where there is more lithium , suicide rate are lower .
Li SALT have been used as a treatment for bipolar disorderliness since the 19th Century , so it is not altogether surprise its mien in the water supply could offer benefits . On the other hand , even someone with a herculean thirst in a peculiarly Li - rich landscape could never get their prescription’s - worth out of a rap .
Nevertheless , scientist have count the possible action of universe - wide effect from Li in drinking water supply and 15 epidemiological studies have been done compare regional suicide rate with imbibition water concentration . Professor Anjum Memonof the Brighton and Sussex Medical School has conducted a recapitulation of all these studies and found a distinctly statistically meaning convention .
In theBritish Journal of Psychiatry , Memon and co - source compose “ by nature pass off lithium in drinking water system may have the potentiality to lose weight the danger of suicide and may perchance aid in mood stabilization , particularly in universe with relatively high suicide rates and geographic areas with a expectant range of lithium compactness in the drunkenness piddle . ”
Some of the study Memon used also found lower crime rates wherelithium is abundant , but this facet was not included in the review , as few had test for this . Despite the same radiation pattern usher up in seven nation , the only mode to prove that atomic number 3 ’s environmental presence saves lifespan is through a randomized trial , add small Venus’s curse of the metal to some piddle provision and not others , and observing the effects .
Memon intimate this in astatement , aim point “ communities ( or preferences ) with demonstrated in high spirits preponderance of mental health conditions , violent criminal behaviour , inveterate heart and soul maltreatment and risk of suicide . ”
unluckily , that will not be an well-fixed subject to do . For one thing , any effects are unlikely to show up quickly , so local authorities would need a prospicient - term loyalty . Moreover , supplementing low levels of raw fluoride in water inspires conspiracy theories that the existent docket is “ mind controller ” . These false claims havebeen sufficientto see some localities prefer to saddle their children with bad teeth . In this linguistic context , the addition of an actual psychiatrical drug is likely to confront an acclivitous conflict . Historic use by Native Americans at sacredlithium - rich spring , or the addition topopular soft - drinks , may not be sufficient to surmount these fears .
Moreover , the serious side - effects of Li medicament are substantial . Most of these are unlikely to pass off at the tiny concentrations seen in water , but patients oftentimes draw the drug subdue their creativity , something hard to measure if it go on subtly at a population level . Nevertheless , proposals exist for moretargetted fortificationand Memon ’s work suggests low - dosage effect need more research .
