Federal Regulations require public water systems to keep a close watch on the levels of many different metals in the water they pump out to their customers — including copper. If levels exceed 1.3ppm at the plant then operators must take corrective action immediately and continue monitoring copper levels for a period afterwards to make sure the level does not climb back above 1.3ppm.

Naturally you probably want to know why water with little or no copper at the water treatment plant can wind up containing dangerously with high levels when it flows from a faucet. Simple: Corrosion.

Many homes and older water systems used copper pipes and/or pipes which contained copper as part of their chemical make up before scientists knew the dangers posed by copper. Water with an improper pH balance becomes corrosive and eats away at the pipes — causing copper to enter the water.

What can copper in drinking ‘do’ to a person?

While the body does require copper as a natural nutrient, it does not require very much at all and levels of exposure above the EPA’s Action Level of 1.3ppm could have adverse effects on a person’s health such as gastrointestinal troubles, nausea and/or vomiting. In more serious cases, liver to kidneys and live may occur.

Can the average person test for copper in drinking water?

Yes, but keep in mind that at-home drinking water test kits serve as screening methods only and persons with reason to suspect serious contamination of their water supply should turn a certified water testing laboratory for assistance.

For everyone else, though, simple test kits such as SenSafe Copper Check will suffice. While just a test strip, advanced aperture technology developed by Industrial Test Systems, Inc. allows just about anyone to detect as low as 0.05ppm dissolved copper in water — without the need for powders, liquids or tablets!

And don’t forget to monitor the pH of your water, too! Corrosive water is normally the number one cause of copper leaching into drinking water!

Hence the need for this water testing blog entry.

“Lead and copper enter drinking water primarily through plumbing materials. Exposure to lead and copper may cause health problems ranging from stomach distress to brain damage. On June 7, 1991, EPA published a regulation to control lead and copper in drinking water. This regulation is known as the Lead and Copper Rule (also referred to as the LCR or 1991 Rule).

The treatment technique for the rule requires systems to monitor drinking water at customer taps. If lead concentrations exceed an action level of 15 ppb or copper concentrations exceed an action level of 1.3 ppm in more than 10% of customer taps sampled, the system must undertake a number of additional actions to control corrosion. If the action level for lead is exceeded, the system must also inform the public about steps they should take to protect their health and may have to replace lead service lines under their control.”  source

Testing for Lead and Copper in Drinking Water

For those wishing to test for the presence of lead and/or copper in drinking water, you may want take a look at the following easy-to-use, inexpensive home water quality test kits:

• Water Metals Check — Great for letting homeowners know if their water contains ANY metals such as copper, cadmium, zinc, iron, cobalt, nickel, etc.  Water Metals Check will not identify which metal the water contains, but it does give homeowners the ability to find out if they ought to perform more quantitative water testing for metals.
   
• Lead in Water — Very simple test which indicates whether water contains lead in concentration of 15ppb or greater.
   
• John’s Copper — Excellent home water quality test kit for detecting copper and ONLY copper in drinking water.  The manufacturer of this product claims it will not yiled false positives if exposed to other metals and that the test will detect levels of copper in drinking water as low as 0.05ppm.