LITHIUM ADDED TO DRINKING WATER:Supposed method to reduce suicide

The way the idle rich went to health spas in Europe was very different from the way Americans go to health spas and get a massage and three days later go back home.

Rich Europeans would go for a month or two, which was long enough that something in the water might have an effect. At these spas, in fact, people were encouraged to consume as much water as they possibly could. One of the most famous spas, with the best reputation, was in Vichy, France, and to this day, Vichy water is still bottled and sold all around the world, including the United States. It contains 3.5 mg of lithium per liter (Allen et al. 1989). There are some reasons for thinking that this might have some interesting effects. I might add that I have an 1892 Scientific American Cyclopedia of Receipts, Quotes and Queries, containing a formula for making Vichy water—synthetic Vichy water—which pharmacists would dispense in their drugstores because it made people feel better. And it has the same 3.5 mg per liter of lithium in it.

There’s an interesting study that was done in 27 Texas counties over a 10-year period. Some of the people living there got their water from rivers, and some got it from wells, and there was a pretty big difference in the lithium levels between them. The researchers found that the people getting the higher levels of lithium had some interesting mental effects, even after adjusting for socioeconomic factors, urbanization, etc.

Sandy: The suicide, homicide, and rape levels were significantly higher in the areas where the drinking water contained considerably less lithium than elsewhere (Schrauzer et al. 1990).

Durk: With regard to nonviolent crimes such as theft and car theft, there was no significant difference, but the researchers did find differences in drug abuse. Although there was no significant difference in alcohol or marijuana arrests, there were statistically significantly lower rates of opiate and cocaine arrests in the areas that had the higher lithium levels. We’re talking here about 70 to 160 mcg per liter of lithium.