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-> More About Copper Plumbing Tube
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| More About Copper Plumbing Tube |
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Copper plumbing is widely used to distribute drinking
water in homes, offices, and factories. As water circulates through
the copper tube, it picks up miniscule amounts of copper. In almost
all cases, the dissolved copper in the water pipes can contribute
to the daily minimum requirements for this micronutrient.
In most environments, copper concentrations in potable water delivered
by copper plumbing tube is less than 1 mg/liter. Relatively more copper
may be found in aggressive water, which is either highly acidic or
basic. In the rare cases where highly acidic groundwaters leach out
too much copper from the pipes, running the tap for a few moments
to flush out the water in the copper piping will eliminate the copper
build-up.
Copper also tends to be picked up more readily from newly-installed
plumbing tube. But as a protective layer of oxide and carbonate forms
in the tube with age, the amount of copper dissolved in the water
is reduced. This usually happens within a few months of installation.
Research shows that there is no evidence of chronic health problems
or systematic health concerns from copper in drinking water. Copper
levels in drinking water pose no significant health risks to the average
consumer - but it can provide valuable benefits. However, in aggressive
water environments, there have been some rare cases of short-term
effects, such as gastrointestinal disturbances and nausea, due to
elevated levels of copper. In these environments, copper buildup in
the drinking water can usually be eliminated simply by running the
tap long enough to flush all of the water that remained in the pipes
for a long period of time.
In the 44 years between 1954 and 1998, there were only a total of
154 confirmed cases in the US of sickness due to excess copper in
drinking water. All of these cases had unusual, localized causes,
such as pipe corrosion due to aggressive waters. Given the population
of the United States (almost 300 million people) and the widespread
use of copper plumbing tube (85% of US homes), the health-related
cases from high levels of copper in drinking water are extraordinarily
rare. |
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