Is tetraethyl lead poison affecting contemporary indigenous suicides in Ontario, Canada?

Abstract

Prior to the mid-1980s, suicide in Indigenous population in Northwestern Ontario, Canada, was rare, occurring at rates of 1–2 per year among over 20 communities. By the early 1990s, the completed suicide rates in the same communities were among the highest in the world. Prior to the outbreak of the suicide epidemic, sniffing of gasoline containing tetraethyl was common in many communities. Existing literature confirms that tetraethyl lead poisoning is associated with alterations to the amyloid-β protein precursor and amyloid-β as well as the 5-HT-1B receptor. The presence of this risk factor within the population warrants further inquiry.