Food naturally contains copper. People ingest about 1 mg of copper every day. Copper rapidly enters the bloodstream and is distributed throughout the body after ingestion. Other foods eaten with copper can affect the amount of copper that enters the bloodstream. The human body is efficient in blocking high levels of copper from entering the bloodstream.
Copper is excreted through feces and urine.
It takes several days for copper to be excreted. Copper and its salts are highly soluble in water concentrations of 1,000 mg and more will mix with a liter of water. Copper is highly persistent in water, with a half-life greater than 200 days. Copper often contains arsenic as an impurity. However, very large single or daily intakes of copper can be harmful.