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Storing Drinking-Water in Copper Pots Kills Contaminating Bacteria (2012)

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Re: Storing Drinking-Water in Copper Pots Kills Contaminating Bacteria (2012)

#21

Post by diggernet »

sndean wrote: post #15
ashwinpp wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and were proven long ago. Can you back up your claim?

Not sure about copper pots specifically, but Wikipedia has a reference suggesting 1893 [0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial_properties_of_co...

And the wiki article has another reference [0] stating, "The first recorded medical use of copper is found in the Smith Papyrus, one of the oldest books known. The Papyrus is an Egyptian medical text, written between 2600 and 2200 B.C., which records the use of copper to sterilize chest wounds and to sterilize drinking water."

[0] https://www.copper.org/publications/newsletters/innovations/...

Re: Storing Drinking-Water in Copper Pots Kills Contaminating Bacteria (2012)

#22

Post by eth0up »

sndean wrote: post #15
ashwinpp wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and were proven long ago. Can you back up your claim?

Not sure about copper pots specifically, but Wikipedia has a reference suggesting 1893 [0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial_properties_of_co...

From [0]

Interestingly, silver may be ineffective against MRSA, while copper is fatal.

Re: Storing Drinking-Water in Copper Pots Kills Contaminating Bacteria (2012)

#23

Post by emptybits »

"We had also reported the benefit of using a copper-based device, contrived by us, which was as effective as the pot but at a fraction of the cost." [12]

[12] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19230946/

(Device spoiler: Water in glass bottles with copper coils.)

Re: Storing Drinking-Water in Copper Pots Kills Contaminating Bacteria (2012)

#25

Post by ams6110 »

cyphar wrote: post #14
ashwinpp wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and were proven long ago. Can you back up your claim?

First discovered in 1893. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligodynamic_effect There are a whole class of heavy metals that act as germicides.

Silver is used (in a cream) to prevent infection in wounds, particularly burns.

Re: Storing Drinking-Water in Copper Pots Kills Contaminating Bacteria (2012)

#26

Post by m45t3r »

batter wrote: post #2

I will just leave it here in case someone will want to employ copper pots: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10383875

Just remember the authors are suggesting copper pots for water storage in developing countries, where people have more chance of dying from diarrhea than from prolonged exposure to copper.

Re: Storing Drinking-Water in Copper Pots Kills Contaminating Bacteria (2012)

#27

Post by LgWoodenBadger »

maxxxxx wrote: post #4
allannienhuis wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting. Two studies with pretty much conflicting conclusions about safety of copper for potable water. I imagine that there is a level (range) of exposure that is in the sweet spot between 'kills harmful microbes' and 'kills/harms humans who drink the water'.

One study is abut storing water in copper pots and the other is about copper in drinking water. Does storing water in pots automatically mean that the copper goes into the water and if yes, how high is the concentration?

How is storing it in copper pots significantly different than "storing" it in the copper pipes prevalent in a majority of houses in the USA?

Re: Storing Drinking-Water in Copper Pots Kills Contaminating Bacteria (2012)

#28

Post by ComputerGuru »

Silver is also known to have antibacterial/antimicrobial properties and is used both as a coating on handles, surfaces to prevent bacterial buildup and also in typical creams as an antibacterial option (however, I do believe a recent study showed it to be no better than a control when applied topically to burns, which is/was one of its primary uses).

Both copper and silver oxidize unpleasantly very quickly, though.

Re: Storing Drinking-Water in Copper Pots Kills Contaminating Bacteria (2012)

#29

Post by ashwinpp »

sndean wrote: post #15
ashwinpp wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and were proven long ago. Can you back up your claim?

Not sure about copper pots specifically, but Wikipedia has a reference suggesting 1893 [0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial_properties_of_co...

Thanks. Should have googled.

However, upon closer inspection, it seems like there was a wave of research during 1960s which looked at Copper ion concentration between 0.02 - 10g/L

In the 2000s there was another wave of research looking at antimicrobial properties, however sampling a few of them, it does seem like they were seen as growing surfaces rather than containers for water purification.

So, I guess it was observed for a long time, scientifically studied fairly recently, and not in particular whether it was viable in a practical setting?

Re: Storing Drinking-Water in Copper Pots Kills Contaminating Bacteria (2012)

#30

Post by eth0up »

ams6110 wrote: post #25
cyphar wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

First discovered in 1893. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligodynamic_effect There are a whole class of heavy metals that act as germicides.

Silver is used (in a cream) to prevent infection in wounds, particularly burns.

I've been making a deodorant created from connecting a few 9v batteries to two copper electrodes in distilled water, followed by the same with two silver electrodes, then blending the results with a bit of alcohol and essential oils. I put it in a spray-bottle and hit the pits with it. Seems significantly more effective than the essential oils alone or conventional products.
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