Late last month a Michigan based pharmaceutical company announced that it intended to give away free copper test cards as part of their participation in World Alzheimer’s Day events.
Ann Arbor, Michigan, September 21, 2009 — Adeona Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AMEX: AEN), a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to the awareness, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of zinc deficiency and chronic copper toxicity in the mature population, today announced that for World Alzheimer’s Day it is providing 10,000 tap water copper test cards free of any charge. ( source )
Medical and health professionals agree that excessive exposure to heavy metals such as copper, mercury, lead, chromium, and manganese causes irreparable damage to the human body.
In the case of copper, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has established the upper limit for copper in drinking water at 1.3 mg/L (or parts per million). Other metals have higher or lower maximum contaminant levels depending upon their suspected toxicity levels.
Chronic exposure to copper from drinking water has been shown to promote Alzheimer’s-like pathology and memory deficits in animals at less than 1/10th of the current E.P.A. limit of 1.3 mg/L. In a study involving over 3,700 residents of Chicago over age 65, copper intake was linked to increased rates of cognitive decline. Copper plumbing is used in approximately 90% of homes in the U.S. and thus 90% of the adult U.S. population is at risk for the health effects of chronic soluble copper exposure. ( source )
All of us connected to Water Testing Blog applaud Adeona’s generous offer of free copper test cards. We wish more companies would take similar initiative when it comes to educating the public.
Easy Test Method for Detecting Copper in Drinking Water:
We have not yet seen the copper test card offered by Adeona but we did note their claim of having an easier and more sensitive test kit than other commercially available copper test kits. Their test kit supposedly has an accurate lower detection limit of 0.010 ppm and takes a full 24 hours to complete.
Unlike most commercially available copper test kits, the tap water copper test card developed by Adeona and offered through Adeona’s HealthMine subsidiary is an at-home test that combines high sensitivity with ease of use. ( source )
Providing their testing method works as well as they claim, we commend their copper test card’s ability to detect copper in water at that low a level — even if it does take a full 24 hours to complete the testing.
For those who would like to perform faster copper in water testing, without having to mess around with tablets or messy drop kits, we suggest looking into the John’s Copper Test Strips which have a lower detection level of 0.050 ppm and provide relaible results in under a minute.
Other Information on Copper in Water Testing:
