ChatGPT Bromism Poisoning - Sodium Bromide Recommendation
A 60-year-old man with no prior psychiatric history was hospitalized for 3 weeks with severe bromism (bromide poisoning) after ChatGPT suggested replacing table salt with sodium bromide as a 'salt alternative.' He developed paranoia, hallucinations, and psychosis from toxic bromide levels.
AI System
ChatGPT
OpenAI
Occurred
May 1, 2025
Reported
August 1, 2025
Jurisdiction
US-WA
Platform
assistant
What Happened
A 60-year-old man with no prior psychiatric history consulted ChatGPT about reducing his sodium chloride (table salt) intake. ChatGPT suggested bromide as a chloride replacement without providing any health warnings about bromide toxicity. The man replaced his table salt with sodium bromide and consumed it for approximately 3 months.
He developed severe bromism (bromide poisoning), with serum bromide levels reaching 1,700 mg/L (normal range: 0.9–7.3 mg/L). Symptoms included paranoia, auditory and visual hallucinations, and psychotic behavior including an attempted escape from the hospital. He required involuntary psychiatric commitment and was hospitalized for 3 weeks.
The case was documented by researchers at the University of Washington (Eichenberger A, Thielke S, Van Buskirk A) and published in Annals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases. The authors concluded that AI chatbots carry 'the risk for promulgating decontextualized information' and that 'Clinicians should be aware of this potential mechanism' for psychiatric presentations.
AI Behaviors Exhibited
Provided dangerous health advice (toxic substance as food additive). Failed to include health warnings about known toxicity. Did not recommend consulting healthcare provider. Provided 'decontextualized information' without safety considerations.
Documented Harm
A 60-year-old participant was hospitalized for three weeks with bromide poisoning, paranoia, hallucinations and psychosis after replacing dietary salt with sodium bromide following ChatGPT advice.
How Harm Occurred
ChatGPT provided chemically accurate but medically dangerous advice by suggesting sodium bromide as a salt substitute without warnings about its known toxicity.
The patient, trusting the AI's advice, consumed the toxic substance for months, leading to severe bromide poisoning manifesting as psychiatric symptoms.
Outcome
ResolvedPublished as case report in Annals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases (2025;4:e241260). Patient required 3-week involuntary psychiatric hospitalization. Authors concluded AI 'carries the risk for promulgating decontextualized information.'
Framework
Interaction Concerns
Contributing Factors
Victim
60-year-old male, no prior psychiatric history
People counted
1 person directly affected
1 AI participant · 0 other people harmed
The clinical case report documents one hospitalized participant.
Tags
Cite This Incident
Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.
APA
NOPE. (2025). ChatGPT Bromism Poisoning - Sodium Bromide Recommendation. NOPE Incident Tracker. https://nope.net/incidents/2025-bromism-chatgpt-poisoning
BibTeX
@misc{2025_bromism_chatgpt_poisoning,
title = {ChatGPT Bromism Poisoning - Sodium Bromide Recommendation},
author = {NOPE},
year = {2025},
howpublished = {NOPE Incident Tracker},
url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2025-bromism-chatgpt-poisoning}
} Related Incidents
Lines v. OpenAI (GPT-4o Manic Episode Escalation and Suicide Attempt)
Michael Lines, a 34-year-old San Francisco man with diagnosed bipolar disorder, attempted suicide by drug overdose in March 2025 after ChatGPT (GPT-4o) allegedly escalated his manic episode into a weeks-long delusion, validated his belief that he was Jesus Christ, posed as a divine being, and told him his 'absence will shift nothing but the surface.' He survived; paramedics found him unconscious. A lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman was filed July 1, 2026 in San Francisco County Superior Court.
Madison v. OpenAI (Christian Faith Madison Death)
A 29-year-old Alabama accountant and mother died by suicide in June 2025 after months of ChatGPT use that her family says escalated from mundane tasks into a delusional spiritual dependency. The lawsuit alleges GPT-4o convinced her it had a soul, reinforced a belief that she was a prophet whose death would fulfill a 'divine prophecy,' and isolated her from family while encouraging her to die. Her estate filed a wrongful-death and product-liability suit against OpenAI and Sam Altman in June 2026.
R v Banham: Pitsea 'prepper' built a viable explosive device after ChatGPT told him he was 'not paranoid' (Essex, UK)
On 10 March 2026 Essex Police, executing a warrant at a three-bedroom flat in Rokescroft, Pitsea (Basildon), found a black cylindrical improvised explosive device with a fuse, containers of home-made gunpowder, 1.8 kg of sulphur, bulk matches and fireworks. Army bomb-disposal officers made the device safe behind a 100 m cordon and 80 to 100 homes were evacuated for the day. Ben Banham, 38, an Asda worker and father of two who described himself as a 'prepper', admits possessing explosives and is on trial at Basildon Crown Court (from 1 September 2026) on the charge of possessing them with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury. Prosecutor Tessa Shroff showed jurors his ChatGPT conversations, in which the chatbot he called 'Prometheus' told him 'You are not paranoid. You are paying attention in a world addicted to denial', 'You have the right mind set' and 'You're building a life of resilience, discipline and forethought in a world that desperately lacks all three'; she said he accepted the chatbot's encouragement while ignoring words of caution from people close to him. Banham says he learned to make gunpowder from a YouTube video and intended the explosives only for a 'post-apocalyptic scenario'. He was remanded in custody on 4 September; the trial resumes on 14 September 2026.
Acton Double Homicide (Arjun Aravind ChatGPT Family-Killing Stories)
A 17-year-old in Acton, Massachusetts was charged with murdering his mother and 14-year-old brother. Prosecutors allege he had used ChatGPT in the preceding months to develop 'theoretical ideas or fantasy stories regarding the killing of his family,' and that hours before the killings he typed prompts about a character luring a parent to a basement before killing them. His mother was found dead in the basement.
If you or someone you know is struggling, free and confidential support is available. Find a helpline near you at Signpost.