Erkman Fatma Tuğba, Yıldırım Mahmut Şerif, Sabuncuoğlu Suna, Demi R Canan, Deği Rmenci Bülent, Gi Rgi N Gözde, Tezer Nevriye, Çapacı Merve, Tümer Ali Rıza, Akcan Ramazan
Institute of Forensic Medicine, Ankara Branch Office, Ankara, Turkey.
Department of Forensic Medicine, Uşak University, Uşak, Turkey.
Forensic Sci Int. 2025 Feb;367:112390. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112390. Epub 2025 Jan 28.
The study investigates the relationship between heavy metal exposure and suicidal behavior. Specifically, it examines whether postmortem blood levels of heavy metals and trace elements can serve as distinguishing factors in suicide cases.
A total of 108 postmortem cases were examined, consisting of 70 suicide cases and 38 non-suicidal control cases. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for Chromium (Cr), Manganese (Mn), Cadmium (Cd), Antimony (Sb), Lead (Pb), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Selenium (Se), Molybdenum (Mo), Cobalt (Co), Arsenic (As), Nickel (Ni), and Mercury (Hg) using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Statistical analyses, including Mann-Whitney U tests and multivariate linear regression, were performed to assess differences between the groups.
Significant differences in the levels of Cu, Zn, Mo, Co, and As were observed between the suicide and control groups. Individuals residing in urban areas showed higher levels of Cd and Hg compared to those in rural areas. Elevated concentrations of heavy metals and trace elements, particularly Cd, Hg, Cu, Zn, and As, were associated with suicide cases.
The study suggests that heavy metal exposure, especially in urban environments, may play a significant role in suicidal behavior. The findings highlight the potential of certain heavy metal and trace element levels in postmortem blood samples as distinctive markers for suicide cases.
本研究调查重金属暴露与自杀行为之间的关系。具体而言，它检验了死后血液中重金属和微量元素水平是否可作为自杀案例中的区分因素。
共检查了108例死后案例，包括70例自杀案例和38例非自杀对照案例。采集血样，使用电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）分析其中的铬（Cr）、锰（Mn）、镉（Cd）、锑（Sb）、铅（Pb）、铜（Cu）、锌（Zn）、硒（Se）、钼（Mo）、钴（Co）、砷（As）、镍（Ni）和汞（Hg）。进行了包括曼-惠特尼U检验和多元线性回归在内的统计分析，以评估两组之间的差异。
自杀组和对照组之间在Cu、Zn、Mo、Co和As的水平上存在显著差异。与农村地区的人相比，城市地区的人Cd和Hg水平更高。重金属和微量元素浓度升高，尤其是Cd、Hg、Cu、Zn和As，与自杀案例有关。
该研究表明，重金属暴露，尤其是在城市环境中，可能在自杀行为中起重要作用。研究结果突出了死后血样中某些重金属和微量元素水平作为自杀案例独特标志物的潜力。
