Copper (Cu)

Copper is a reddish metal that occurs naturally in the environment. It is an essential element for all living things including people. Copper is extensively mined in the United States and is used to make wire, sheet metal, pipes, and pennies. It is also used in farming to treat some plant diseases; in water treatment; and to preserve wood, leather, and fabrics. It is added to marine paints as an anti-fouling agent. It is released into the environment through erosion and volcanic eruptions, copper smelting, use as a fungicide (on plants, wood, fabric, and leather), and industrial and sewage waste.

• Eating or drinking very high amounts of copper can cause liver and kidney damage and effects on the blood. Drinking water with higher than normal levels of copper can cause vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and nausea.
• It does not cause cancer in humans or animals.
• It is highly toxic to marine organisms.
• Copper contaminantion is a marine health concern, not a human health concern.
  

• Copper is hydrophobic (readily removed from solution by adsorption to particles).
• Copper produces an unpleasant taste in contaminated organisms. The concentration at which we can taste copper is almost 1000 x lower than the concentration that can affect us.