COPPER FACT SHEET  

Brief Overview:
Contaminant: Copper
Category: Inorganic
MCL:
Source:
Effect:
Followup:
Treatment: Corrosion control.

Details:
Source:
Copper is a metal found in natural deposits as ores containing other elements. It is widely used in household plumbing materials. Copper may occur in drinking water either by contamination of the source water used by the water system, or by corrosion of copper plumbing. Corrosion of plumbing is by far the greatest cause for concern. Copper is rarely found in source water, but copper mining and smelting operations and municipal incineration may be sources of contamination.
From 1987 to 1993, according to the Toxics Release Inventory copper compound releases to land and water totaled nearly 450 million lbs., of which nearly all was to land. These releases were primarily from copper smelting industries. The largest releases occurred in Utah. The largest direct releases to water occurred in Tennessee.
All water is corrosive toward copper to some degree, even water termed noncorrosive or water treated to make it less corrosive. Corrosivity toward copper is greatest in very acidic water. Many of the other factors that affect the corrosivity of water toward lead can also be expected to affect the corrosion of copper.

Effect:
Short- and Long-term effects: Copper is an essential nutrient, required by the body in very small amounts. However, EPA has found copper to potentially cause the following health effects when people are exposed to it at levels above the Action Level for relatively short periods of time: stomach and intestinal distress, liver and kidney damage, and anemia. Persons with Wilsons disease may be more sensitive than others to the effects of copper contamination.

Followup:

Treatment: