From the Greek word lithos meaning 'stone', lithium was discovered in 1817 by Johan August Arfwedson while analysing an ore that contained the metal. He identified that the new element behaved in a similar fashion to sodium and potassium in terms of forming compounds but named it as such due to its discovery as a solid. Being an alkali metal, lithium is extremely reactive and flammable and must be stored in a vacuum or inert liquid such as oil to prevent reactions with the air. For this reason, lithium is not found freely in nature but instead as compounds, usually within rocks.
Lithium and the compounds containing it have a variety of industrial applications, perhaps most notably within lithium-ion batteries, particularly since the rise of electric cars. Other applications besides this include heat resistant glass, lubricants, and steel and aluminium production.
Lithium can be found in small amounts within the body despite not being used for any biological processes. However, in its pure form lithium can be used as a medication for treating mood disorders, as well as reducing aggressive behaviour. Lithium carbonate can be used for the same purpose but as a slow-release medication.
Excessive lithium intake is known as lithium toxicity and mainly affects the kidneys and central nervous system. In more serious cases the gastrointestinal tract may be affected, all the way to causing neurological and cardiovascular problems. Lithium is not considered an official micronutrient in the body so recommendations on intake are not available, this information is only given for when lithium is taken as medicine.
Lithium is naturally occurring in drinking water, being present in trace amounts in rocks allows it to be mobilised into the water supply. The levels of lithium in drinking water are far below the levels at which lithium is used as a medication, but many studies have aimed to assess whether there is a link between lithium in drinking water and lower suicide rates. A 2020 paper in The British Journal of Psychiatry supported this hypothesis on the population level due to lithium's mood stabilisation characteristics and suggested that evidence would support randomised trials to validify the claim.
There are currently no legal limits placed on concentrations of lithium in drinking water from any public health bodies; a 2008 study of the water in the East of England found a range between <1 and 21 ppb.
Lithium in your drinking water can be detected by the following tests.
Lithium can be reduced or removed from your drinking water using the following methods.
