Is Copper in Bath Water Dangerous?

Ever wondered why your bath water is turning out blueish? Did you ever see any bluish or green water pouring from all of your water sources in your home? Does all of the tap water in your home give you the same bluish water?

If that’s the case, we can safely assume that your water is filled with copper minerals at a dangerous rate. But don’t panic before hearing everything out. In this article, we will figure out how copper ended up in your bathwater and is copper in bath water dangerous?

What is Copper

Copper is one of the most abundant metals found on earth, which we acquire as minerals. It is also one of the most used materials in our day-to-day life. We use it in our electric wires and motors because they transfer and keep heat and electricity very well. We also use them to build many machines in our industry and construction. We also use them in making jewelry to make them more sustainable.

Benefits of using Copper in plumbing

We use copper sinks and plumbing in the household, which is most important for our topic. Copper is resistant to corrosion, and it has anti-microbial properties. That is why we used copper for plumbing for decades to protect water from bacteria where we saw zero level contamination of water.

It’s also important to note that copper can handle extreme hazardous conditions, such as heat exposure, making it a good choice for plumbing. It doesn’t rust like iron, and it is recyclable, making it eco-friendly.

Then what went wrong? Reasons why copper appears in your water supply

It is undeniable that copper got so many pros to be fitted in the best choice for plumbing, but as days went on, we also spotted some very harmful cons that we can not avoid at any cost.

It adds a metallic taste to your water and, most notably, copper corrosion. We discussed earlier that copper doesn’t corrode as prematurely as iron. But suppose the copper faces some severe hazardous condition. In that case, it can rust quicker than expected such as a pH imbalance of water (if your water has a pH value ranging from 7.0 to 8.5), high concentration of other chemicals like dissolved oxygen or mineral salts, and high water velocity.

In that instances, copper corrodes badly, and some copper gets mixed with your water, the water you use for bathing, cleaning your house, and drinking. Now we need to know how much of it is harmful or not.

Cons of using Copper in plumbing

We already take copper as minerals in our body from food which is very useful for our health. But even our body has a limit on how much copper our body can take.

Copper is an essential trace element required to maintain good health for humans and animals. An adult needs no more than three milligrams of copper per day in accordance with WHO (World Health Organisation) to keep our body healthy. More than ninety percent of these coppers we take comes from food.

Point to be noted that our drinking water also has some copper. But in drinkable waters, these coppers are very minimal and mostly not much harmful to the body. But if copper crosses the tolerant amount for our body in drinking water, it can raise many health concerns.

Per the regulations and guidelines by WHO, the health department of Canada, the USA, and European countries, the established health value of copper in drinking water is 2mg/L. Even a little exposure to copper in drinking water can lead to headaches, nausea, and diarrhea. And a long term exposure can cause severe damage to the liver and kidneys.

Is copper in bath water dangerous?

We need to understand that copper can’t reach our body organs as much as through bathwater as it goes through our drinking water. So a short exposure through your skin and vapor of copper added bathwater may not be a big problem, but long-term exposure can cause serious health concerns.

Experts also said that bathing in copper mixed water at a limited threshold isn’t dangerous for health issues. But if the copper in the bathwater crosses the minimum threshold to get into the skin, it can produce the same health risks as drinking water too.

Is there any way to remove copper from drinking or bathwater?

If you want to reduce your exposure to the bathwater, we highly suggest you use another water source if possible. It seems like a concise solution if your primary water supply in your household is filled with copper.

In such cases, I recommend you take some measures to completely eliminate copper from your drinking water. You can use some very effective and certified water treatment systems, such as carbon-based filters or reverse osmosis distillation treatment devices.

Remember! You must be conscious of whether these water systems are certified and meet the standard of ANSI/NSF. Plus, make sure the installation and maintenance process is according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

You can flush your shower for two or three minutes to remove all the copper mixed waters, and in some instances, you’ll get fresh water from your shower. It also helps for the kitchen sink and cold water taps.

If you are still having problems having these concise solutions, all we can suggest is to change the plumbing system from copper to PEX. In that case, first, use the copper testing kit to identify how much copper poisoned your water. After that, specify the corroded pipes, and you can add PEX pipes that are less expensive and don’t corrode to pollute your water.

Final words

You got what you need. We have covered everything to make it worthwhile for you in this article. We covered the pros and cons of using copper in plumbing, its health risks, and copper’s safety limits in drinking waters. And finally, we answered for you is copper in bath water dangerous. We also hope you’ll find it useful for removing copper from your drinking and bath water.

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