Acute gastrointestinal effects of graded levels of copper in drinking water.

Abstract

The objectiv of this study was to determine the acute gastrointestinal effects caused by the consumption ofdrinking water coning graded levels ofadded copper. Sixty healy, adult women were randomly assigned to receive copper [Cu(II)] at four concentrations in their drinking water following a latin-square design. Each group (n -15) received tap water with no added copper, 1, 3, and 5 mg Cull of added copper sulfte for a 2-week study period, followed by 1 week of standard tap water. The subjecs recorded their water consumption and gaointestinal ymptoms daily on a special form. The avernge daily consumption of water was 1.64 liters per subject, regardless of the amount of copper added. Final serum copper, ceruloplamin, and liver enzymes were mesured in all subjects and were not di&rent from baseline con o. Twenty-one subjects (35%) recorded gastrointestinal disturbances someime during the study, 9 had dirrhea,. some with abdominal pain and vomiting and 12 subjects presented abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting. There was no association between copper levels in drinking water and diarrhea.Howev, nausea, abdominal pain, or vomiting were significantly related to copper concentrations in water. The recorded incidence rate of these symptoms was 5, 2, 17, and 15% while ingesing water with 0, 1, 3, and 5 mg Cull, respcively (overall x2 = 11.3, p<r0.01; Cu <1 mgl versnus Cu >3 mgIl, x2, r<0.01). When subjects interrupted their consumption ofdrinking water with added copper, most symptoms disappe We condude that under the conditions of the study, there was no asociaton between egte copper in drinking water within the range of 0-5 mg/l and diarrhea, but a .3 mg Cull levd ofionized copper was associated with nausea, abdominal pain, or vomiting. Additional studies with sufficient numbers of subjects are needed to define thresholds for specific gastrointestinal symptoms with precision and to extrapolate these results to the population at large.

Assessing the Impact of an Operating Tailings Storage Facility on Catchment Surface and Groundwater Quality in the Ellembele District of the Western Region of Ghana

“…High levels of copper are associated with nausea, abdominal pain, or vomiting in humans (Pizarro et al, 1999). Concentrations of copper in groundwater (0.0015 mg/l) were greater than that of surface water (0.0020 mg/l).…”

Community-Based Randomized Double-Blind Study of Gastrointestinal Effects and Copper Exposure in Drinking Water

“…A main limitation of this study is the lack of control of the exact timing of exposure and appearance of symptoms. This was indeed performed in the above-mentioned clinical trials that led to the dose–response curve (Araya et al 2001; Gotteland et al 2001; Olivares et al 2001; Pizarro et al 1999). Instead, in the present study the main objective was to assess to what extent this dose–response curve is applicable when individuals are exposed to Cu in a more realistic fashion.…”

“…Vomiting was observed in 11.5% of the study subjects and was first reported at 6 mg/L, showing a 2-fold increase when the Cu concentration reached 10–12 mg Cu/L. Diarrhea and abdominal cramps were rare within the range of concentrations studied (Araya et al 2001; Gotteland et al 2001; Olivares et al 2001; Pizarro et al 1999). Using these dose–response curves and the 95% confidence intervals (CI), the Cu concentration at which 5% of the population would experience nausea was 2.0 mg Cu/L for the crude initial response and 4.2 mg Cu/L for the nausea response confirmed by repeat testing (Olivares et al 2001).…”

“…Over the past decade, systematic controlled randomized studies have characterized the full response to acute Cu exposure in drinking water, defining the first adverse effect rather than toxic effects (Araya et al 2001; Olivares et al 2001; Pizarro et al 1999). In these studies, clinical assays using controlled exposure were performed including asymptomatic participants 18–60 years of age, balanced by sex, who were exposed to a single bolus of different waters containing Cu sulfate in concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 12 mg Cu/L.…”

“…In these studies, clinical assays using controlled exposure were performed including asymptomatic participants 18–60 years of age, balanced by sex, who were exposed to a single bolus of different waters containing Cu sulfate in concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 12 mg Cu/L. The first and most frequent symptom reported was nausea, which was transient, appearing mainly within 15 min after ingestion (Araya et al 2001; Gotteland et al 2001; Olivares et al 2001; Pizarro et al 1999). The no observed effect level (NOEL) was 2 mg Cu/L, and the lowest observed adverse effect level (LOAEL) for nausea was 4 mg Cu/L (Olivares et al 2001).…”