Does copper from copper pipes connected to a public drinking water supply pose a health hazard for babies?

摘要

Copper in drinking water has been associated with a form of early childhood liver cirrhosis, Non-Indian Childhood Cirrhosis (NICC). This epidemiological study examines the exposure of infants to increased copper concentrations through drinking water from public water supplies and if this dietary copper intake can cause liver damage in early childhood. The area investigated was located in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, and in the city of Berlin, Germany. In total water samples from 1674 households with infants were tested for copper in the study part performed in southern Lower Saxony (Gottingen and area). In the study part performed in Berlin in total water samples from 2944 households with infants were tested for copper. An increased level of copper in the drinking water with copper concentrations at or above 0.8 mg/L in the composite samples and a defined minimum ingestion of tap water was followed by a recommendation of a paediatric examination. None of the examined infants showed signs of copper-associated liver malfunction in the clinical examination or a pathological change of biochemical parameters in the serum which could have been ascribed to copper exposure. From the results of this study, no indication of a health hazard for infants due to corrosion of copper pipes connected to public water supplies could be detected.