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Cited by 451Suicide and Self-Harm StudiesHomicide, Infanticide, and Child AbuseInjury Epidemiology and Prevention

The coal gas story. United Kingdom suicide rates, 1960-71.

Open access
Kreitman, N·1976·Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health
DOI 10.1136/jech.30.2.86PMC PMC478945
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Abstract

A detailed analysis of suicide rates between 1960 and 1971 for England and Wales and for Scotland confirms that all age-sex subgroups have shown a marked decline in suicide due to domestic gas, corresponding in time to the fall in the CO content. After considering data on the effects of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) Eighth Revision, accident mortality, some personal characteristics of coal gas suicides, and the use of coal gas in parasuicide it was concluded that a simple casual explantation was likely. Suicide due to non-gas methods has in general increased, markedly so in some groups. It was suggested that neither improved psychiatric services nor voluntary agencies could have produced such changes. The 'compensatory' trend of gas and non-gas suicide rates was indicated for certain age-sex subgroups. The continuing need for suicide research was pointed out, and questions were raised concerning the psychological meaning of the epidemiological data.

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  • Faced with no access to their chosen method, most individuals do not turn to alternative means for suicide, as shown for coal and gas or firearm restriction.

    “Surprisingly, faced with no access to their chosen method, most individuals do not turn to alternative means for suicide, as shown for coal and gas(156) or firearm restriction.(127)”

    From Improving Suicide Prevention Through Evidence-Based Strategies: A Systematic Review (2021) · cites this paper as [156]

    The ‘Domestic Gas and Other Modes of Death in Suicide’ section reports that the fall in coal-gas suicides was large enough to lower total suicide rates despite increases in deaths by other means in some groups. But ‘Some Implications’ treats whether individuals switched methods as an open question and says virtually nothing is known about it. The paper therefore supports an aggregate decline, not the claim that most individuals did not turn to alternative means; the firearm citation is separate. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • Restricting access to means during periods of acute risk can have an impact on an individual's likelihood of dying from suicide in the longer term.

    “There is evidence, however, that restricting access to means during periods of acute risk can have an impact on an individual's likelihood of dying from suicide in the longer term.”

    From Means restriction for the prevention of suicide by jumping (2020) · cites this paper as Kreitman 1976

    The Conclusion links less-lethal domestic gas to a fall in carbon-monoxide suicides. In Some Implications, the author suggests that an unavailable method may make suicide less likely, but says that virtually nothing is known about why. The paper does not establish that restricting access during an individual's acute-risk period changes that individual's longer-term likelihood of dying by suicide. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • In the UK, after domestic gas supplies changed from toxic coal gas to non-toxic natural gas, the numbers of carbon monoxide poisoning suicides fell, and despite a slight increase in other methods, the net effect was a large reduction in suicide deaths.

    “With the change to natural gas, the numbers of these deaths fell.Despite a slight increase in other methods, the net effect was a large reduction in suicide deaths (Kreitman 1976).”

    From Means restriction for the prevention of suicide by jumping (2020) · cites this paper as Kreitman 1976

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. BAGLEY, C. (1968). The evaluation of a suicide prevention scheme by an ecological method. Soc. Sci. Med., 2, 1. (1971). An evaluation of suicide prevention agencies. L ife threatening Behav., 1, 245. (1972). Doctors, samaritans and suicides. Brit. J. Psychiat., Notes and News, Aug., pp. 6-8.
  2. JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF GENERAL PRAcTrIoNERs(1973). Reports from General Practice No. 16. Present State and Future Needs of General Practice. (3rd edition) March.
  3. OvENSTONE, I. (1972). An Epidemiological Survey of Suicide in Edinburgh. MD Thesis, University of Dundee.
  4. by copyright. on August 16, 2023 by guest. Protected http://jech.bmj.com/ Br J Prev Soc Med: first published as 10.1136/jech.30.2.86 on 1 June 1976. Downloaded from

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Authors
Kreitman, N.
Affiliations
Royal Edinburgh Hospital (GB)
Corresponding author
Kreitman, N
Venue
Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health
Publisher
BMJ
Published
1976-06-01
Volume
30
Issue
2
Pages
86-93
ISSN
  • 0141-7681 (ISSN-L)
  • 0143-005X
DOI
10.1136/jech.30.2.86
PMC
PMC478945
OpenAlex
W2016516553
Cited by
451
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 54 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 16
FWCI
8.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Injury Epidemiology and Prevention
Keywords
suicide, coal gas, carbon monoxide poisoning, suicide rates, parasuicide, accident mortality, England and Wales, Scotland
MeSH terms
Accidents, Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, Coal, England, Female, Fossil Fuels, Gas Poisoning, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Physicians, Family, Scotland, Sex Factors, Suicide, Suicide, Attempted, Wales

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