英国研究团队发现，常见食品防腐剂亚硝酸钠与自杀死亡率上升存在关联，这一问题在年轻人和男性群体中尤为突出 [1]。根据2019年至2024年的数据，英国实验室共收到201起疑似中毒案例，其中71%涉及年轻一代 [1]。在164起确认案例中，男性案例数为109起，显著高于女性的52起 [1]。
在已确认案例中，平均年龄为28岁，年龄范围从14岁至82岁 [1]。其中，千禧一代（1997-2012年出生）占38%，Gen Z（1981-1996年出生）占33% [1]。87%的案例显示患者体内亚硝酸盐或硝酸盐浓度高出正常生理水平100倍 [1]。
研究人员呼吁对该化学物质的获取进行更严格管制，并建议在救护车上配备解毒剂（甲基硫酸铵氯化物套件），同时加强对在线有害信息的防控 [1]。该研究已发表于《BMJ公共卫生》杂志2026年第4期 [1]。
A research study has identified a connection between sodium nitrite, a widely used food preservative, and escalating suicide mortality rates in the United Kingdom, with particularly pronounced effects among younger individuals and men [1]. Between 2019 and 2024, British laboratories received 201 suspected poisoning cases related to the chemical, with 71 percent involving younger generations [1]. Among 164 confirmed cases analyzed during this period, the average age was 28 years, ranging from 14 to 82 years old [1]. Male cases substantially outnumbered female cases, with 109 and 52 documented incidents respectively [1].
The severity of exposure in these cases was striking: in 87 percent of confirmed incidents, sodium nitrite or nitrate concentrations measured more than 100 times higher than normal physiological levels [1]. Generation Z, defined as those born between 1981 and 1996, accounted for 33 percent of cases, while millennials, born between 1997 and 2012, comprised 38 percent [1]. In response to these findings, researchers have called for stricter regulation of access to the chemical substance and greater oversight of online content promoting its harmful use [1]. The study also recommends equipping ambulances with an antidote kit, specifically methylthioninium chloride, to improve emergency response capabilities [1]. The research was published in BMJ Public Health, 2026, Issue 4 [1].