Any drinking water levels sampled above the EPA’s copper action level of 1.3 mg/L should be reduced. Drinking water above this level increases the risk of experiencing health effects such as upset stomach, nausea, and possibly vomiting. However, many factors determine if someone will actually experience health effects or not. Factors include what you’re exposed to in your environment, how you’re exposed, how much, how long, and also how often you are exposed. Not all people have the same risk. Age, gender, genetics, lifestyle, and other factors also play a role in how exposure to a substance impacts health.
After you stop drinking the water, the copper levels in your body will be reduced through excretion. It is important to note that the body is generally good at regulating copper levels. In cases of excess copper in the diet, the absorption of copper will drop to as low as 12% of dietary intake. In diets deficient in copper the absorption can be over 75% of the dietary intake.
Copper toxicity is rare in healthy individuals. People with Wilson’s Disease, Indian childhood cirrhosis, and idiopathic copper toxicosis are extra sensitive to copper. Their bodies are not able to get rid of extra copper easily.