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

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

#121

Post by kalleboo »

ars wrote: post #117
vram22 wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, empirically, I guess at least gold cannot be too or immediately toxic, since thin gold leaf is sometimes put on sweets as a decoration in India - usually on peda kind of sweets: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peda https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vark Silver too, according to the above page.

> Yes, empirically, I guess at least gold cannot be too or immediately toxic Gold goes out from the body unchanged from how it went in.

An attribute capitalized upon by this product http://incrediblethings.com/food/this-gold-pill-makes-you-po...

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

#122

Post by reality_czech »

kpil wrote: post #69
m45t3r wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

My water is delivered in copper tubes... It can't be that bad, can it?

There is more information here: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water/factsheet/com/co...

If you have old copper pipes you're probably fine. An oxide coating builds up on the pipes over time that prevents the release of copper.

If you have a water filter you're probably fine (although check the particular filter to see what it removes.) You should have a water filter anyway if you live in any area that used to have industrial sites.

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

#123

Post by seer »

throwaway5752 wrote: post #40
vram22 wrote: post #37

Using copper vessels to store water for drinking is somewhat common in parts of India. Seen it in Maharashtra. Lead vessels were traditionally used (and may still be) to make certain dishes (like rasam, a watery lentil-based sour soup) in South India. No idea about any benefits or the reverse. Update: Also, I've seen relatives of the previous generation to mine (in India), sometimes eating from silver plates. Not sur…

Just as a PSA, lead in any quantity is toxic and particularly so for children. Copper, silver, and gold are in the same family of elements (group 11) and lead is in the carbon family. Very different characteristics. edit: I should also note (since bringing up families of elements) that - supporting your anecdote - silver has known and studied antimicrobial properties ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16766878 ).…

Fun fact - tomatos were actually considered poisonous in parts of europe for a long time, since they have high acidity and leach toxins from lead plates http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-the-tomato-wa...

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

#124

Post by reality_czech »

jessaustin wrote: post #34
LgWoodenBadger wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

That's true for houses of a particular age and value. New stuff is all PEX, and has been for some time. Old enough houses would have been cast iron. Cheaper houses (mobile homes, for example) were all PVC for a long time. I had to dig up and repair a sewer pipe yesterday, and was somewhat surprised to find that it was made of clay tile .

New stuff is not all PEX. Some people prefer copper because of its anti-microbial properties and because it's a known quantity that has been used for a very long time. PEX was only even approved in California in 2009, and there was a lawsuit about the stuff it was leaching into the water. Whether it's safe is controversial. Whether it's stinky is not-- PEX causes the water to smell bad. https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2014/Q4/drinking-wa...

Also, nobody cares what sewer pipes are made of. Cast iron is a popular choice, but it could be just about anything, since you're not drinking the water (one hopes.) In California, they even used to make them out of pressed wood pulp and pitch in the 1960s... another wonder material that turned out to be not so wonderful in the long term... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangeburg_pipe

I guess it was still better than cement-asbestos pipe, though. Which is still used to supply tap water in some cities. :( Another wonder material of a bygone era.

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

#125

Post by reality_czech »

jessaustin wrote: post #70
jessaustin wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's true for houses of a particular age and value. New stuff is all PEX, and has been for some time. Old enough houses would have been cast iron. Cheaper houses (mobile homes, for example) were all PVC for a long time. I had to dig up and repair a sewer pipe yesterday, and was somewhat surprised to find that it was made of clay tile .

'icantdrive55 the thread is about water supply lines, not boilers or HVAC evaporator coils. I've dealt with a number of plumbers over the last several years, and not one wanted to use anything but PEX for supply lines. Actually a different preference would be a strike against any plumber I'd consider hiring for new work. Also you appear to be hellbanned.

Of course they wanted to use PEX. It's cheaper and easier for them to install, since they don't have to solder anything. But there are definitely some concerns about PEX. http://www.calpipes.org/ProtectingCalifornians_PEX.asp It leaches a lot of chemicals which may or may not be harmful, but which certainly do cause an odor. It is permeable to some pesticides, oil, gasoline, and benzene. It is not anti-microbial like copper is, which means you get biofilms. If it's exposed to sunlight for two weeks (perhaps because some contractor left it outside), its chlorine resistance disappears. It is not recyclable, and makes toxic smoke when it burns. But it is 1/3 the cost. Your choice.

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

#126

Post by justincormack »

ska wrote: post #92
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

Copper pots are used for cooking because of the superior heat transfer, but you are not cooking with copper directly. They are "tinned", and this coating needs upkeep. You can't really cook with it directly because it's too reactive with acidic foods.

Modern ones are coated with stainless steel which needs no maintenance

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

#127

Post by mrexroad »

kpil wrote: post #74
jessaustin wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's true for houses of a particular age and value. New stuff is all PEX, and has been for some time. Old enough houses would have been cast iron. Cheaper houses (mobile homes, for example) were all PVC for a long time. I had to dig up and repair a sewer pipe yesterday, and was somewhat surprised to find that it was made of clay tile .

Eh, what is the expected lifetime of PEX tubes? The building code in USA is a bit relaxed compared to northern Europe, but can you have PEX tubes inside walls? I think the recommendation here is a dual tube system, with a PEX pipe inside a protective outer tube.

Yes, you can have PEX enclosed in finished walls in most US cities. Only need to sheath when subject to damage (e.g. Passing through potentially abrasive material)

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

#128

Post by Steve44 »

rblatz wrote: post #83
samstave wrote: post #47

I have a copper water bottle that I bought online from India: https://i.imgur.com/3k2QBQI.jpg I love the thing, and I was drinking water out of it... But one time I put alcohol in it... and I took a few sips from it and I almost immediately started feeling nauseous and weird... now I'm scared to use it, even for water.

A Moscow Mule is typically served in a copper mug, and I'd think the negative effects from the alcohol would be the primary thing to worry about.

Most current commercial mugs have a lining in them to prevent any leaching but still allows you to maintain the look and also the copper to help with temperature.

I can't find a quick reference but I read a while back that the drink, possibly the acid from the juice, reacted with the copper to add a flavour to the drink. With the lined mugs you don't get that specific taste.

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

#129

Post by vmarquet »

throwaway5752 wrote: post #40
vram22 wrote: post #37

Using copper vessels to store water for drinking is somewhat common in parts of India. Seen it in Maharashtra. Lead vessels were traditionally used (and may still be) to make certain dishes (like rasam, a watery lentil-based sour soup) in South India. No idea about any benefits or the reverse. Update: Also, I've seen relatives of the previous generation to mine (in India), sometimes eating from silver plates. Not sur…

Just as a PSA, lead in any quantity is toxic and particularly so for children. Copper, silver, and gold are in the same family of elements (group 11) and lead is in the carbon family. Very different characteristics. edit: I should also note (since bringing up families of elements) that - supporting your anecdote - silver has known and studied antimicrobial properties ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16766878 ).…

Little known fact: lead might be one of the reasons of the decline of the Roman Empire, because they used it inside the pipes carrying water. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_poisoning#History

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

#130

Post by JLK_121416 »

wnevets wrote: post #102
jacobush wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gold... toxic?

there was even an episode of house where the cause was gold poisoning.

That doesn't necessarily mean that the element is poisonous per se. Many good/healthy substances are poisonous at high levels,e.g.: Vitamin A poisoning [0] Water poisoning [1]

[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervitaminosis_A [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication

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