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  4. Copper

Copper

Toxic Substance

    What is Copper?

    CAS#: 007440-50-8

    Copper is a metal that occurs naturally throughout the environment, in rocks, soil, water, and air. Copper is an essential element in plants and animals (including humans), which means it is necessary for us to live. Therefore, plants and animals must absorb some copper from eating, drinking, and breathing.

    Copper is used to make many different kinds of products like wire, plumbing pipes, and sheet metal. U.S. pennies made before 1982 are made of copper, while those made after 1982 are only coated with copper. Copper is also combined with other metals to make brass and bronze pipes and faucets.

    Copper compounds are commonly used in agriculture to treat plant diseases like mildew, for water treatment and, as preservatives for wood, leather, and fabrics.

    Related Resources for Copper

    • CERCLA Priority List of Hazardous Substances
      Prioritization of substances based on a combination of their frequency, toxicity, and potential for human exposure at National Priorities List (NPL) sites.
    • Interaction Profile
      Succintly characterizes the toxicologic and adverse health effects information for mixtures of hazardous substances.
    • Minimal Risk Levels (MRL)
      The MRL is an estimate of the daily human exposure to a hazardous substance that is likely to be without appreciable risk of adverse, non-cancer health effects over a specified duration of exposure. The information in this MRL serves as a screening tool to help public health professionals decide where to look more closely to evaluate possible risk of adverse health effects from human exposure.
    • Public Health Statement
      Summary about a hazardous substance taken from Chapter One of its respective ATSDR Toxicological Profile.
    • ToxFAQ
      Fact sheet that answers the most frequently asked questions about a contaminant and its health effects.
    • Toxicological Profile
      Succinctly characterizes the toxicologic and adverse health effects information for a hazardous substance.
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    This page was updated on 09/18/2008