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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

Copper 

CAS#: 7440-50-8 

Division of Toxicology September 2004 

This Public Health Statement is the summary 

chapter from the Toxicological Profile for Copper. 

It is one in a series of Public Health Statements 

about hazardous substances and their health effects. 

A shorter version, the ToxFAQsTM, is also 

available. This information is important because 

this substance may harm you. The effects of 

exposure to any hazardous substance depend on the 

dose, the duration, how you are exposed, personal 

traits and habits, and whether other chemicals are 

present. For more information, call the ATSDR 

Information Center at 1-888-422-8737. 

This public health statement tells you about copper 

and the effects of exposure to it. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

identifies the most serious hazardous waste sites in 

the nation. These sites are then placed on the 

National Priorities List (NPL) and are targeted for 

long-term federal clean-up activities. Copper has 

been found in at least 906 of the 1,647 current or 

former NPL sites. Although the total number of 

NPL sites evaluated for this substance is not known, 

the possibility exists that the number of sites at 

which copper is found may increase in the future as 

more sites are evaluated. This information is 

important because these sites may be sources of 

exposure and exposure to this substance may harm 

you. 

When a substance is released either from a large 

area, such as an industrial plant, or from a container, 

such as a drum or bottle, it enters the environment. 

Such a release does not always lead to exposure. 

You can be exposed to a substance only when you 

come in contact with it and your body is able to 

absorb it. You may be exposed by breathing, 

eating, or drinking the substance, or by skin contact. 

If you are exposed to copper, many factors will 

determine whether you will be harmed. These 

factors include the dose (how much), the duration 

(how long), and how you come in contact with it. 

You must also consider any other chemicals you are 

exposed to and your age, sex and other genetic 

traits, diet, family traits, lifestyle, and state of 

health, including pregnancy and developmental 

stage of embryo/fetus. 

1.1 WHAT IS COPPER? 

Copper is a reddish metal that occurs naturally in 

rock, soil, water, sediment, and, at low levels, air. 

Its average concentration in the earth's crust is about 

50 parts copper per million parts soil (ppm) or, 

stated another way, 50 grams of copper per 

1,000,000 grams of soil (1.8 ounces or 0.11 pounds 

of copper per 2,200 pounds of soil). Copper also 

occurs naturally in all plants and animals. It is an 

essential element for all known living organisms 

including humans and other animals at low levels of 

intake. At much higher levels, toxic effects can 

occur. The term copper in this profile not only 

refers to copper metal, but also to compounds of 

copper that may be in the environment. 

Metallic copper can be easily molded or shaped. 

The reddish color of this element is most commonly 

seen in the U.S. penny, electrical wiring, and some 

water pipes. It is also found in many mixtures of 

metals, called alloys, such as brass and bronze. 

Many compounds (substances formed by joining 

two or more chemicals) of copper exist. These 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

Copper 

CAS#: 7440-50-8 

Division of Toxicology September 2004 

include naturally occurring minerals as well as 

manufactured chemicals. The most commonly used 

compound of copper is copper sulfate. Many 

copper compounds can be recognized by their bluegreen color. 

Copper is extensively mined and processed in the 

United States and is primarily used as the metal or 

alloy in the manufacture of wire, sheet metal, pipe, 

and other metal products. Copper compounds are 

most commonly used in agriculture to treat plant 

diseases, like mildew, or for water treatment and as 

preservatives for wood, leather, and fabrics. 

1.2 WHAT HAPPENS TO COPPER WHEN 

IT ENTERS THE ENVIRONMENT? 

Copper can enter the environment through releases 

from the mining of copper and other metals, and 

from factories that make or use copper metal or 

copper compounds. Copper can also enter the 

environment through waste dumps, domestic waste 

water, combustion of fossil fuels and wastes, wood 

production, phosphate fertilizer production, and 

natural sources (for example, windblown dust, from 

native soils, volcanoes, decaying vegetation, forest 

fires, and sea spray). Therefore, copper is 

widespread in the environment. About 

1,400,000,000 pounds (640,000,000,000 grams) of 

copper were released into the environment by 

industries in 2000. Copper is often found near 

mines, smelters, industrial settings, landfills, and 

waste disposal sites. 

When copper is released into soil, it can become 

strongly attached to the organic material and other 

components (e.g., clay, sand, etc.) in the top layers 

of soil and may not move very far when it is 

released. When copper and copper compounds are 

released into water, the copper that dissolves can be 

carried in surface waters either in the form of 

copper compounds or as free copper or, more likely, 

copper bound to particles suspended in the water. 

Even though copper binds strongly to suspended 

particles and sediments, there is evidence to suggest 

that some water-soluble copper compounds do enter 

groundwater. Copper that enters water eventually 

collects in the sediments of rivers, lakes, and 

estuaries. Copper is carried on particles emitted 

from smelters and ore processing plants, and is then 

carried back to earth through gravity or in rain or 

snow. Copper is also carried into the air on 

windblown metallurgical dust. Indoor release of 

copper comes mainly from combustion processes 

(for example, kerosene heaters). 

Elemental copper does not break down in the 

environment. Copper can be found in plants and 

animals, and at high concentrations in filter feeders 

such as mussels and oysters. Copper is also found 

in a range of concentrations in many foods and 

beverages that we eat and drink, including drinking 

water. 

1.3 HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO 

COPPER? 

Copper is common in the environment. You may 

be exposed to copper by breathing air, drinking 

water, eating food, and by skin contact with soil, 

water and other copper-containing substances. 

Most copper compounds found in air, water, 

sediment, soil and rock are strongly attached to dust 

and dirt or imbedded in minerals. You can take 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

Copper 

CAS#: 7440-50-8 

Division of Toxicology September 2004 

copper into your body upon ingestion of water or 

soil that contains copper or by inhalation of coppercontaining dust. Some copper in the environment is 

less tightly bound to soil or particles in water and 

may be soluble enough in water to be taken up by 

plants and animals. In the general population, 

soluble copper compounds (those that dissolve in 

water), which are most commonly used in 

agriculture, are more likely to threaten your health. 

When soluble copper compounds are released into 

lakes and rivers, they generally become attached to 

particles in the water within approximately 1 day. 

This could lessen your exposure to copper in water, 

depending on how strongly the copper is bound to 

the particles and how much of the particles settle 

into lake and river sediments. However, fine 

particles have an enormous surface area and can 

remain suspended for prolonged periods of time. 

Therefore, at high fine particle concentrations, both 

exposure and uptake can be considerable even 

under conditions of tight copper binding to the 

suspended particulates. 

The concentration of copper in air ranges from a 

few nanograms (1 nanogram equals 

1/1,000,000,000 of a gram or 4/100,000,000,000 of 

an ounce) in a cubic meter of air (ng/m3) to about 

200 ng/m3

. A cubic meter (m3) is approximately 

25% larger than a cubic yard. Near smelters, which 

process copper ore into metal, concentrations may 

reach 5,000 ng/m3

. You may breathe high levels of 

copper-containing dust if you live or work near 

copper mines or processing facilities. 

You may be exposed to levels of soluble copper in 

your drinking water that are above the acceptable 

drinking water standard of 1,300 parts copper per 

billion parts of water (ppb), especially if your water 

is corrosive and you have copper plumbing and 

brass water fixtures. The average concentration of 

copper in tap water ranges from 20 to 75 ppb. 

However, many households have copper 

concentrations of over 1,000 ppb. That is more than 

1 milligram per liter of water. This is because 

copper is dissolved from copper pipes and brass 

faucets when the water sits in the pipes overnight. 

After the water is allowed to run for 15–30 seconds, 

the concentration of copper in the water decreases 

below the acceptable drinking water standard. 

The concentration of copper in lakes and rivers 

ranges from 0.5 to 1,000 ppb with an average 

concentration of 10 ppb. The average copper 

concentration in groundwater (5 ppb) is similar to 

that in lakes and rivers; however, monitoring data 

indicate that some groundwater contains levels of 

copper (up to 2,783 ppb) that are well above the 

standard of 1,300 ppb for drinking water. This 

copper is generally bound to particles in the water. 

Lakes and reservoirs recently treated with copper 

compounds to control algae or receive cooling 

water from a power plant can have high 

concentrations of dissolved copper. Once in natural 

water, much of this copper soon attaches to particles 

or convert to other forms that can settle into 

sediments. This can limit exposure to copper unless 

the sediments are stirred; for example, by the 

resuspension and swallowing of sediments by 

swimmers in recreational waters. 

Garden products containing copper that are used to 

control certain plant diseases are also a potential 

source of exposure through contact with skin or if 

they are accidentally swallowed. For example, you 

can find copper compounds in some fungicides. 

Soil generally contains between 2 and 250 ppm 

copper, although concentrations close to 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

Copper 

CAS#: 7440-50-8 

Division of Toxicology September 2004 

17,000 ppm have been found near copper and brass 

production facilities. High concentrations of copper 

may be found in soil because dust from these 

industries settles out of the air, or wastes from 

mining and other copper industries are disposed of 

on the soil. Another common source of copper in 

soil results from spreading sludge from sewage 

treatment plants. This copper generally stays 

strongly attached to the surface layer of soil. You 

may be exposed to this copper by skin contact. 

Children may also be exposed to this copper by 

hand to mouth contact and eating the contaminated 

dirt and dust. 

Food naturally contains copper. You eat and drink 

about 1 milligram (1/1,000 of a gram or 

4/100,000 ounces) of copper every day. 

While some hazardous waste sites on the NPL 

contain high levels of copper, we do not always 

know how high it is above natural levels. We also 

do not know what form it is in at most of these sites. 

However, evidence suggests that most copper at 

these sites is strongly attached to soil. 

You may be exposed to copper in the workplace. If 

you work in the industry of mining copper or 

processing the ore, you are exposed to copper by 

breathing copper-containing dust or by skin contact. 

If you grind or weld copper metal, you may breathe 

high levels of copper dust and fumes. Occupational 

exposure to forms of copper that are soluble or not 

strongly attached to dust or dirt would most 

commonly occur in agriculture, water treatment, 

and industries such as electroplating, where soluble 

copper compounds are used. Exposure to copper in 

air in the workplace is regulated and is set to be 

below concentrations that can be harmful to you. 

1.4 HOW CAN COPPER ENTER AND 

LEAVE MY BODY? 

Copper can enter your body when you drink water 

or eat food, soil, or other substances that contain 

copper. Copper can also enter your body if you 

breathe air or dust containing copper. Copper may 

enter the lungs of workers exposed to copper dust or 

fumes. 

Copper rapidly enters the bloodstream and is 

distributed throughout the body after you eat or 

drink it. Certain substances in foods eaten with 

copper can affect the amount of copper that enters 

the bloodstream from the gastrointestinal tract. 

Your body is very good at blocking high levels of 

copper from entering the bloodstream. We do not 

know how much copper enters the body through the 

lungs or skin. Copper then leaves your body in 

feces and urine, mostly in feces. It takes several 

days for copper to leave your body. Generally, the 

amount of copper in your body remains constant 

(the amount that enters your body equals the 

amount that leaves). 

1.5 HOW CAN COPPER AFFECT MY 

HEALTH? 

Scientists use many tests to protect the public from 

harmful effects of toxic chemicals and to find ways 

for treating persons who have been harmed. 

One way to learn whether a chemical will harm 

people is to determine how the body absorbs, uses, 

and releases the chemical. For some chemicals, 

animal testing may be necessary. Animal testing 

may also help identify health effects such as cancer 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

Copper 

CAS#: 7440-50-8 

Division of Toxicology September 2004 

or birth defects. Without laboratory animals, 

scientists would lose a basic method for getting 

information needed to make wise decisions that 

protect public health. Scientists have the 

responsibility to treat research animals with care 

and compassion. Scientists must comply with strict 

animal care guidelines because laws today protect 

the welfare of research animals. 

Copper is essential for good health. However, 

exposure to higher doses can be harmful. Longterm exposure to copper dust can irritate your nose, 

mouth, and eyes, and cause headaches, dizziness, 

nausea, and diarrhea. If you drink water that 

contains higher than normal levels of copper, you 

may experience nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, 

or diarrhea. Intentionally high intakes of copper 

can cause liver and kidney damage and even death. 

We do not know if copper can cause cancer in 

humans. EPA does not classify copper as a human 

carcinogen because there are no adequate human or 

animal cancer studies. 

1.6 HOW CAN COPPER AFFECT 

CHILDREN? 

This section discusses potential health effects in 

humans from exposures during the period from 

conception to maturity at 18 years of age. 

Exposure to high levels of copper will result in the 

same types of effects in children and adults. We do 

not know if these effects would occur at the same 

dose level in children and adults. Studies in animals 

suggest that children may have more severe effects 

than adults; we do not know if this would also be 

true in humans. There is a very small percentage of 

infants and children who are unusually sensitive to 

copper. We do not know if copper can cause birth 

defects or other developmental effects in humans. 

Studies in animals suggest that ingestion of high 

levels of copper may cause a decrease in fetal 

growth. 

1.7 HOW CAN FAMILIES REDUCE THE 

RISK OF EXPOSURE TO COPPER? 

If your doctor finds that you have been exposed to 

substantial amounts of copper, ask whether your 

children might also have been exposed. Your 

doctor might need to ask your state health 

department to investigate. 

The greatest potential source of copper exposure is 

through drinking water, especially in water that is 

first drawn in the morning after sitting in copper 

piping and brass faucets overnight. To reduce 

copper in drinking water, run the water for at least 

15–30 seconds before using it. Additionally, if 

there is concern about the concentration of copper 

in drinking water exceeding the minimum value of 

1,300 ppb, families should have their water tested. 

1.8 IS THERE A MEDICAL TEST TO 

DETERMINE WHETHER I HAVE BEEN 

EXPOSED TO COPPER? 

Copper is normally found in all tissues of the body, 

blood, urine, feces, hair, and nails. High levels of 

copper in the blood, urine, hair, and nails can show 

that you have been exposed to higher than normal 

levels of copper. Tests to measure copper levels in 

the body are not usually available at a doctor’s 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

Copper 

CAS#: 7440-50-8 

Division of Toxicology September 2004 

office because they require special equipment, but 

the doctor can send samples to a specialty 

laboratory. Although these tests can show that you 

have been exposed to higher than normal copper 

levels, they can not be used to predict the extent of 

exposure or potential health effects. 

1.9 WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS HAS THE 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MADE TO 

PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH? 

The federal government develops regulations and 

recommendations to protect public health. 

Regulations can be enforced by law. The EPA, the 

Occupational Safety and Health Administration 

(OSHA), and the Food and Drug Administration 

(FDA) are some federal agencies that develop 

regulations for toxic substances. Recommendations 

provide valuable guidelines to protect public health, 

but cannot be enforced by law. The Agency for 

Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) 

and the National Institute for Occupational Safety 

and Health (NIOSH) are two federal organizations 

that develop recommendations for toxic substances. 

Regulations and recommendations can be expressed 

as “not-to-exceed” levels, that is, levels of a toxic 

substance in air, water, soil, or food that do not 

exceed a critical value that is usually based on 

levels that affect animals; they are then adjusted to 

levels that will help protect humans. Sometimes 

these not-to-exceed levels differ among federal 

organizations because they used different exposure 

times (an 8-hour workday or a 24-hour day), 

different animal studies, or other factors. 

Recommendations and regulations are also updated 

periodically as more information becomes available. 

For the most current information, check with the 

federal agency or organization that provides it. 

Some regulations and recommendations for copper 

include the following: 

EPA has determined that drinking water should not 

contain more than 1.3 mg copper per liter of water 

(1.3 mg/L). The EPA has also developed 

regulations on the amount of copper that industry is 

allowed to release. 

OSHA has set a limit of 0.1 milligrams/cubic meter 

(mg/m3

) for copper fumes (vapor generated from 

heating copper) and 1.0 mg/m3

 for copper dusts 

(fine metallic copper particles) and mists (aerosols 

of soluble copper) in workroom air to protect 

workers during an 8-hour work shift (40-hour 

workweek). 

The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of 

Medicine has developed recommended dietary 

allowances (RDAs) of 340 micrograms (μg) of 

copper per day for children aged 1–3 years, 

440 μg/day for children aged 4–8 years, 700 μg/day 

for children aged 9–13 years, 890 μg/day for 

children aged 14–18 years, and 900 μg/day for 

adults. This provides enough copper to maintain 

health. 

1.10 WHERE CAN I GET MORE 

INFORMATION? 

If you have any more questions or concerns, please 

contact your community or state health or 

environmental quality department, your regional 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

Copper 

CAS#: 7440-50-8 

Division of Toxicology September 2004 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission office, or contact 

ATSDR at the address and phone number below. 

ATSDR can also tell you the location of 

occupational and environmental health clinics. 

These clinics specialize in recognizing, evaluating, 

and treating illnesses resulting from exposure to 

hazardous substances. 

Toxicological profiles are also available on-line at 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov and on CD-ROM. You may 

request a copy of the ATSDR ToxProfilesTM 

CD-ROM by calling the information and technical 

assistance toll-free number at 1-888-42ATSDR 

(1-888-422-8737), by email at atsdric@cdc.gov, or 

by writing to: 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

Division of Toxicology 

1600 Clifton Road NE 

 Mailstop F-32 

Atlanta, GA 30333 

 Fax: 1-770-488-4178 

For-profit organizations may request a copy of final 

profiles from the following: 

National Technical Information Service (NTIS) 

5285 Port Royal Road 

Springfield, VA 22161 

Phone: 1-800-553-6847 or 1-703-605-6000 

Web site: http://www.ntis.gov/ 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov