Children who carry the gene would be at particular risk because their consumption of water is greater than adults in proportion to their size. Although Wilson s disease is found in only one out of 40,000 people in the United States, as much as 1 percent of the population may carry the gene for the disease. But there is no test available yet to identify individuals who could be at risk. Copper is an essential mineral nutrient that is found in soil and plants. Most copper contamination in drinking water is the result of corrosion of copper pipes or fittings.
Corrosion can occur from water that is high in acidity and high in temperature.
In 1989 the Institute of Medicine estimated that adults could safely inject 1.5 to 3.0 mg of dietary copper per day and infants could consume 0.4 to 0.6 mg per day to maintain good health. Generally, the copper people ingest through their daily diet falls within this range, and typically only a small fraction of an individual s copper intake comes from drinking water. However, water characteristics in some states and municipalities are conducive to greater leaching of the mineral into drinking water. The length of time water sits in copper pipes also can greatly increase the mineral s concentration. The concentration of copper decreases in water that has been running from the tap for a few minutes.