December 16, 2021 | News | New Publication
Heavy Metal Toxicity and Mortality
MPIDR-Researcher Pekka Martikainen and his colleagues Kaarina Korhonen and Lasse Tarkiainen published an article on heavy metal toxicity and mortality in BMJ's Christmas Issue.
© 2021 BMJ Publishing group Ldt.
The researchers sought to assess the association between area-level density of heavy metal bands and cause-specific hospital admissions and mortality. Using Longitudinal register-based data from 311 municipalities in Finland, they find no evidence for adverse health outcomes with increasing density of heavy metal bands. Cities with a high density of heavy metal bands showed slightly lower rates of mortality and of hospital admissions for alcohol-related problems and self-harm.
Although residual confounding remains a problem in observational studies, vibrant local heavy metal scenes — comparable to many other forms of cultural capital — might help to promote health through healthier lifestyles, better coping mechanisms, and a stronger sense of community.
Original Publication
Martikainen, P., Korhonen, K., Tarkiainen, L.: Heavy metal toxicity and mortality—association between density of heavy metal bands and cause specific hospital admissions and mortality: population based cohort study. BMJ (2021) DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2021-067633