United States
Environmental Protection
Agency ' .
Office of Water
4601
EPA 811-F-9 5-002 i- T
October 1995
Primary Drinking
Water Regulations
i
Copper
CHEMICAL/ PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
CAS NUMBER: 7440-50-8 (metal)
SOLUBILITIES (o/L WATER AT 20 DEC C): Chloride, 770; Nitrate, 1250;
Sulfate. 207.
BlOCONCENTRATION FACTOR! N/A
COLOR/ FORM/ODOR: Reddish metal which may occur in water as COMMON ORES: Found as sulfides, arsenrtes, chlorides, and
copper salts, the most common of which are the chloride, carbonates in the following ores: Chalcopyrite, Chalcocite.
nitrate.and sulfate salts. , Bomite, Tetrahedrite, Enarg'rte, Antlerite
SOIL SORPTION COEFFICIENT: N/A
DRINKING WATER STANDARDS
RELEASE PATTERNS
MCLG:
ACTION LEVEL:
HAL(child):
1.3mg/L Although copper rarely occurs in source water, the
> f 3 mg/L in 10 percent or more followin9 natural and artificial sources have been identi-
of tap water samples ^ed- c°PPer is widely distributed in nature in the elemen-
tal state, in sulfides, arsenites, chlorides, and carbon-
none ates. The element is only superficially oxidized in air,
HEALTH EFFECTS SUMMARY
Acute and Chronic: Copper is an essential nutrient,
but at high doses it has been shown to cause stomach
and intestinal distress, liver and.kidney damage, and
anemia. Persons with Wilson's disease may be at a
higher risk of health effects due to copper than the
general public.
CancerrThere is inadequate evidence to state whether
or not copper has the potential to cause cancer from a
lifetime exposure in drinking water.
USAGE PATTERNS
Copper occurs in drinking water primarily due to its;
use in plumbing materials.
Occurrence in Source Water and Distributed Wa-
ter. Copper levels above the MCLG are rarely found in
raw drinking water supplies or in distributed water. EPA
estimates that only 66 water systems have copper levels
in source water greater than the MCLG.
Occurrence as a Corrosion By- Product The pri-
mary source of copper in drinking water is corrosion of
copper pipes, which are widely used throughout the
lited States for interior plumbing of residences and
other buildings. In some .cases, copper is a component
of additives to drinking water used by systems to control
the growth of algae.
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Toxic RELEASE INVENTORY -
RELEASES TO WATER AND LAND:
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Water
TOTALS (in pounds) 1 ,538,148
Top Ten States*
UT 55.350
NM 0
AZ . 2.636
Ml 19,763
NY 66,057
MT 0
TN 301,417
MO 250
AL 41.213
MD . 78.601
Major Industries*
Primary copper smelting 7,591
Other nonferrous smelt. 4,414
Plastic materials . 44,422
Blast furnaces, steel 1 56,982
Poultry slaughtering 0
Copper rolling, drawing 17,253
Ind. organic chems 28,936
Prepared feeds, misc. 1 ,038
Ind. inorganic chems 220,503
1 987 TO 1 993
Land
. 442,082,245
153,501,500
130,682,387
1 04,61 9,532
11.172,897
10,017,766
8,696.153
1,208,804
1.486,000
513.536
270,945
. .
201,214.264
11,317,048
9.637.850
3,229,752
1,249.750
941,075
827.356
760.094
527.458
* State/Industry totals only include facilities with releases
greater than a certain amount - usually 1000 to 10,000 Ibs.
- ichnical Version
Printed on Recycled Paper
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sometimes giving a green coating of hydroxy carbonate
and hydroxy sulfate. The concentration of copper in the
continental crust, generally estimated at 50 ppm, tends to
be highest in the ferromagnesium minerals, such as the
basalts pyropene and biotite, where it averages 140 ppm.
Sandstones contain 10-40 ppm, shales 30-150 ppm, and
marine black shales 20-300 ppm. Coal is relatively low in
copper.
In the sedimentary cycle copper is concentrated in the
clay mineral fractions with a slight enrichment in those
clays rich in organic carbon.
Smelting operations and municipal incineration may
also produce copper. Water and pasture have been
found to be contaminated with copper in the vicinity of
copper mines or smelting works. The principal source of
elevated copper levels in air is copper dust generated by
copper processing operations..
From 1987 to 1993, according to the Toxics Release
Inventory copper compound releases to land and water
totalled nearly 450 million IDS., of which nearly-all was to
land. These releases were primarily from copper smelt-
ing industries. The largest releases occurred in Utah. The
largest direct releases to water occurred in Tennessee.
ENVIRONMENTAL FATE
As with lead, all water is corrosive toward copper to
some degree, even water termed noncorrosive or water
treated to make it less corrosive. Corrosivity toward
copper depends primarily on the pH of the water, with
very low pHs associated with the highest levels of copper
corrosion by-products. Many of the other factors that
affect the corrosiv'rty of water toward lead can also be
expected to affect the corrosion of copper.
OTHER REGULATORY INFORMATION
MONITORING:
SAMPLING SITE:
MONITORING PERIOD:
Initial
After corrosion
control installation
Reduced monitoring
- Conditional
-Final
ANALYSIS FOR COPPER
REFERENCE SOURCE
EPA 800/4-83-043
Standard Methods
FOR COPPER
AT HOME TAPS
Every 6 months
Every 6 months
Once a year
Every 3 years
METHOD NUMBER
220.2;220.1 .
3111-B;3120
FOR MATER QUALITY PARAMETERS
WITHIN THE AT ENTRY TO THE
DISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION
SYSTEM SYSTEM
Every 6 months
Every 6 months
Every 6 months
Every 3 years
Every 6 months
Every 2 weeks
Every 2 weeks
Every 2 weeks
TREATMENT: BEST AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGIES
Source water: Ion exchange; lime softening; reverse osmosis; coagulation/filtration
Corrosion Control: pH and alkalinity adjustment; calcium adjustment; silica- or phosphate-based corrosion inhibition
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
4 EPA can provide further regulatory and other-general information:
EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline - 800/426-4791
* Other sources of toxicological and environmental fate data include:
Toxic Substance Control Act Information Line - 202/554-1404
Toxics Release Inventory, National Library of Medicine - 301/496-6531
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry - 404/639-6000
October 1995
Technical Version
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