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Copper Toxicity
What to Know
About Copper Toxicity
Medically
reviewed by Shilpa Amin, MD, CAQ, FAAFP
Written
by Tim Jewell
Copper toxicity can be caused by genetic conditions or
exposure to high levels of copper in food or water.
We’ll help you learn how to identify copper toxicity, what
causes it, how it’s treated, and if there’s a connection to intrauterine
devices (IUDs).
First, we’ll define what a healthy amount of copper is and
what’s a dangerous level.
Healthy and unhealthy copper levels
Copper is a heavy metal that’s perfectly safe to consume
at low levels.
You have about 50 to 80 milligrams (mg) of copper in your
body that’s mostly found in your muscles and liver, where excess copper is
filtered out into waste products like pee and poop.
The normal range for copper levels in the blood is 70 to
140 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL).
Your body needs copper for a number of processes and
functions. Copper helps develop tissues that make up your bones, joints, and
ligaments. You can get plenty of copper from your diet.
Copper toxicity means you have more than 140 mcg/dL of
copper in your blood.
What are the symptoms of copper toxicity?
Some reported symptoms of copper poisoning include:
headaches
fever
passing out
feeling sick
throwing up
blood in your vomit
diarrhea
black poop
abdominal cramps
brown ring-shaped markings in your eyes (Kayser-Fleischer
rings)
yellowing of eyes and skin (jaundice)
Copper poisoning may also cause the following mental and
behavioral symptoms:
feeling anxious or irritable
having trouble paying attention
feeling overexcited or overwhelmed
feeling unusually sad or depressed
sudden changes in your mood
Long-term copper toxicity can also be fatal or cause:
kidney conditions
liver damage or failure
heart failure
brain damage
What causes copper toxicity?
Copper in water
Copper toxicity is often caused by unintentionally
ingesting too much copper from water supplies that contain high levels of
copper.
Water can be contaminated by farm operations or industrial
waste that runs off into nearby reservoirs or public wells.
Water traveling through copper pipes can absorb copper
particles and become contaminated with too much copper, especially if the pipes
are corroded.
Copper in food
Although rare, the same thing can happen to food served on
rusting copper dishes or alcoholic drinks prepared in corroded copper cocktail
shakers or copper drinkware. The important detail is corrosion of the copper.
Medical conditions and disorders
Some genetic conditions can also affect your liver’s
ability to filter out copper properly. This can result in chronic copper
toxicity. Some of these conditions include:
Wilson’s disease
liver disease
hepatitis
anemia (low red blood cell count)
thyroid issues
leukemia (blood cell cancer)
lymphoma (lymph node cancer)
rheumatoid arthritis
Copper-rich foods
You don’t need to avoid copper altogether. Copper is an
essential part of your diet. Balanced copper levels can generally be regulated
by your diet alone.
Some copper-rich foods include:
shellfish, such as crabs or lobster
organ meats, such as liver
seeds and legumes, such as sunflower seeds, cashews, and
soybeans
beans
peas
potatoes
green vegetables, such as asparagus, parsley, or chard
whole grains, such as oats, barley, or quinoa
dark chocolate
peanut butter
With copper, it’s possible to have too much of a good
thing.
Consuming a lot of copper-rich food and taking copper
dietary supplements can raise blood copper levels.
This can result in acute copper toxicity, sometimes called
acquired copper toxicity, in which your blood copper levels spike suddenly.They
can be returned to normal with treatment.
Can copper toxicity come from an IUD?
IUDs are T-shaped birth control devices that are implanted
into your uterus to prevent you from getting pregnant.
These devices do this by using hormones or inflammatory
processes.
The ParaGard IUD has copper coils intended to cause local
inflammation in your uterus. This prevents sperm from fertilizing eggs by
inflaming uterine tissue and thickening cervical mucus.
There’s no clear evidence that copper IUDs significantly
increase the risk of copper toxicity in the blood, unless you already have a
condition that affects your liver’s ability to process copper.
However, there may be other side effects when using a
copper IUD.
Other issues related to copper IUDs
A 1980 study of 202 people found no sign
that copper IUDs increased how much copper was filtered out through urine.
A 2009 study of nearly 2,000 people who
used copper IUDs for the first time suggests that using a copper IUD can make
you lose 50 percent more blood during your period than when not using one.
This can lead to side effects like anemia.
A 1996 case study found that using a copper
IUD can lead to severe copper allergy symptoms, such as uterine tissue
inflammation and fluid build-up in vaginal tissues.
Reactions caused by a copper IUD can include:
periods that are heavier or longer than usual
lower abdominal cramps and discomfort
menstrual cramps that happen even when you’re not having
your period
symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease, such as pain
during sex, fatigue, and abnormal discharge from your vagina
See your doctor as soon as possible if you notice any of
these symptoms or copper toxicity symptoms after getting a ParaGard copper IUD.
They can diagnose and treat any reactions that your body may be having to the
IUD.
How’s copper toxicity diagnosed?
Copper toxicity is usually diagnosed by measuring the
levels of copper in your bloodstream.
To do this, a healthcare provider takes a sample of your
blood using a needle and vial, which they send to a laboratory for analysis.
Your doctor may also recommend additional tests, such as:
blood tests to measure ceruloplasmin or vitamin B-12
levels
urine tests to measure how much copper is being filtered
out through pee
tissue sample (biopsy) from your liver to check for signs
of copper filtration issues
Your doctor may recommend copper diagnostic tests if they
notice mild symptoms of copper poisoning during a physical exam.
You may also be tested if you’ve gone to the emergency
room after developing severe symptoms from ingesting too much copper at once.
How’s copper toxicity treated?
Some treatment options for acute and chronic copper
toxicity include:
Chelation. Chelators are medications injected into your
bloodstream. The medication helps bond all the copper in your blood together so
it can make it to your kidneys for filtration and release from your body
through pee.
Gastric lavage (stomach pumping). This procedure removes
copper you ate or drank directly from your stomach using a suction tube.
Medications. Certain medications can treat copper
toxicity, often along with other treatments. Some oral medications include
penicillamine (Cuprimine) or dimercaprol (BAL in oil).
Hemodialysis. This process removes blood from your body
and filters out waste using a device that mimics your kidneys. Filtered blood
is then returned to your body.
What if copper is in my water?
Think your water may be contaminated? Call your local
water district, especially if you’ve been diagnosed with copper toxicity and
suspect that copper in the water you’re drinking is the source.
To remove copper from your water, try the following:
Run cool water for at least 15 seconds through the faucet
that’s attached to an affected copper pipe.
Do this for any faucet that hasn’t been used in six or
more hours before you drink the water or use it to cook.
Set up water filtration equipment to purify contaminated
water from your faucets or other affected water sources in your home, such as
your refrigerator. Some options include reverse osmosis or distillation.
The bottom line
Drinking contaminated water or taking supplements with
copper may put you at risk of copper toxicity.
Certain liver or kidney conditions that prevent you from
properly metabolizing copper can also expose you to copper toxicity, even if
you’re not exposed to copper contamination.
See your doctor to diagnose these conditions or if you
notice any new or worsening symptoms.
IUDs haven’t been directly linked to copper toxicity, but
they can cause other symptoms that may require treatment or IUD removal.
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