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Shortlist

Contaminant

Copper in drinking water

Also listed as Cu

Leaches from copper plumbing. High levels upset the stomach and stain fixtures.

This page can’t tell you what’s in your tap water.
Only a test of water from your own tap can. Public-system results describe the system, not your home.
9 sources
01Check your water systemWater Check · system results, not your tap02Test your tapHow to get a reliable result03Treatment approachesWhat can reduce it at the tap
On this page · 10 sections
  1. 01Reference values
  2. 02Is it in my water?
  3. 03Where it comes from
  4. 04Testing
  5. 05Water filters
  6. 06Treatment
  7. 07Evidence
  8. 08Next steps
  9. 09Ask about copper
  10. 10References
Reference values

An action level, not a safe level.

Each value says what kind of reference it is, and they mean different things. A lower or missing number never means water is safe.

Action levelFederal · public water systems
1.3 ppm

When a public water system must act. It isn’t a safe line for your tap.

Applies to
Samples across a public water system, not one home’s tap
Status
In force
Source
EPA action level · Lead & Copper Rule (1.3 mg/L) · 40 CFR §141.80
Health-based goal · MCLGFederal · not enforceable
1.3 ppm

The level below which no known health risk is expected. A goal, not a limit.

Applies to
Set alongside the rule as a public-health goal
Status
Published goal
Source
EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations — MCLG 1.3 mg/L · 40 CFR §141.51
How they relate
Health-based goalNo known risk expected below itAction levelWhere utilities must act

Water between the two isn’t automatically safe. An action level tells a utility when to act. It isn’t a line below which your tap is safe. Positions are illustrative, not to scale.

Your stateNot held yetStates may set their own references. We don’t hold a state reference for copper yet.
Is it in my water?

Only a test of your own tap can tell.

Choose what you have. We’ll show what it can and can’t tell you.

If you haven’t tested
Nobody can tell without a measurement, including us.

Three things you can do, in this order.

Test water from your tapThis is the only way to know your level. Testing guidance ↓See what your system reportsSystem results aren’t a tap measurement. Open Water Check →On a private well?Public-system reports don’t cover wells. Open Well Water →
Where it comes from

Where it comes from

  1. Industrial discharges
  2. Copper salts used for algae control in reservoirs
  3. Copper plumbing materials due to corrosion
Why it matters
Acute copper poisoning causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, gastrointestinal illness, abdominal and muscle pain; severe cases have led to anemia, liver poisoning, and kidney failure.
Elevated copper levels in tap water have been associated with gastrointestinal illness in multiple documented outbreaks, particularly in newly built homes with new copper plumbing. · Infants exposed to elevated copper levels in formula water may experience loose stools and vomiting; children under 1 year may be more sensitive than older persons. · Copper is essential to human health; it combines with proteins to produce enzymes that provide energy for biochemical reactions, help form collagen and elastin, and maintain connective tissue including the heart and arteries.
Testing

How to test your tap water for copper

Copper in drinking water can be detected through atomic absorption spectrometry, graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, or colorimetric methods; the EPA has set a practical quantification limit of 50 micrograms per liter.

  1. 01Use a certified labA state-certified lab, or a kit that sends samples to one.
  2. 02Follow the sampling stepsHow and when you collect the water changes the result.
  3. 03Check the reportIt should state units and the detection limit.
Certified labNot sponsored
Use a state-certified labYour state keeps a list of labs certified for drinking water.

Choosing a filter for copper

None qualify
No products currently qualify for a copper pick here.

Nothing in our database has a copper claim for an exact configuration we can verify.

Find a fit in FinderRead treatment approaches
Treatment

How to reduce copper in water

Function: ReduceApproaches that can lower copper at the tap.
How to reduce copperCarbon filters certified under NSF/ANSI 53 and reverse osmosis under 58 reduce copper. Running the tap briefly after long stagnation lowers it in the meantime, since the worst is the water that sat in the pipe.
Whole-house systems and point-of-use filters treat different water. A whole-house system treats water where it enters the home; a point-of-use filter treats the tap it’s installed on. Check which one a claim is for.
Evidence

What the evidence means

We keep evidence types apart. A result for one configuration never stands in for another, and we never average across types.

No product in our database holds a reduction record for copper yet.

How we read evidence →

Next steps

Take the next step

Match a system to your homeFinder asks about your home first. It suggests copper as a starting point, and nothing counts until you confirm it.
Ask about copper

Still have a question?

Answers come only from WaterDecoder’s reviewed sources and show citations. Ask can’t interpret your test result or choose a product. Don’t include personal details.

AI assistant

Ask about Copper

Answers draw on cited public-health sources and the filters certified to reduce Copper. Every source is linked, and if the sources don’t cover a question, the answer says so.

Questions to start with

Educational information from cited sources. Not medical or professional advice.

References

Where these facts come from

  1. 1Regulatory reference40 CFR §141.80EPA action level · Lead & Copper Rule (1.3 mg/L)
  2. 2Regulatory reference40 CFR §141.51EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations — MCLG 1.3 mg/L
  3. 3Knowledge BaseSecondary Drinking Water Standards: Guidance for Nuisance ChemicalsU.S. EPA
  4. 4Knowledge BaseCopper (Cu) Fact Sheet — Contaminant in WaterWater Quality Association (WQA)
  5. 5Knowledge BaseCopper in Drinking-water (WHO guideline background document)World Health Organization
  6. 6Knowledge BaseCopper | ToxFAQsATSDR (CDC)
  7. 7Knowledge BaseToxicological Profile for CopperATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry / CDC)
  8. 8Knowledge BaseOverview of Drinking Water Treatment TechnologiesUS EPA (SDWA program)
  9. 9Knowledge BaseLead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) — program hubUS EPA

Written and maintained by WaterDecoder. A review date appears only once we have confirmed one.

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