National Toxicology Program

Selected toxicity information from HSDB, one of the National Library of Medicine's databases. ¹

Human Toxicity Excerpts

• COPPER ITSELF PROBABLY HAS LITTLE OR NO TOXICITY, ALTHOUGH THERE ARE CONFLICTING REPORTS IN LITERATURE. [The Merck Index. 10th ed. Rahway, New Jersey: Merck Co., Inc., 1983., p. 359]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• The fumes and dust cause irritation of the upper respiratory tract. [Sittig, M. Handbook of Toxic and Hazardous Chemicals and Carcinogens, 1985. 2nd ed. Park Ridge, NJ: Noyes Data Corporation, 1985., p. 257]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Inhalation of dusts & fumes of metallic copper ... causes congestion of nasal mucous membranes, ulceration & perforation of the nasal septum, & pharyngeal congestion. [Venugopal, B. and T.D. Luckey. Metal Toxicity in Mammals, 2. New York: Plenum Press, 1978., p. 27]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Fumes from the heating of metallic copper can cause metal fume fever, nausea, gastric pain, & diarrhea. [International Labour Office. Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety. 4th edition, Volumes 1-4 1998. Geneva, Switzerland: International Labour Office, 1998., p. 63.14]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Acute poisoning from inhalation of copper containing dust has ... been reported ... to cause symptoms of heavy metal poisoning ... . [Browning, E. Toxicity of Industrial Metals. 2nd ed. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1969., p. 149]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• ... Symptoms of acute gastrointestinal disturbance /pain in chest, metallic taste in mouth, nausea, vomiting/, as well as some respiratory irritation & dyspnea were observed ... /in an/ extensive investigation /about 1,910/ of workers exposed to the dust of metallic copper & its oxides, but ... the digestive disturbance /was attributed/ to the conversion of the swallowed metallic copper to its irritating salts, & the respiratory symptoms to the non-specific reaction to the inhaled dust as a foreign body in the lung. [Browning, E. Toxicity of Industrial Metals. 2nd ed. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1969., p. 149]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• There is a report of corneal ulcers, & skin irritation, but little other toxicity, in a copper-mine worker who fell into an electrolytic bath, but the acidity, rather than the copper, may have been the cause. [International Labour Office. Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety. 4th edition, Volumes 1-4 1998. Geneva, Switzerland: International Labour Office, 1998., p. 63.14]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• A report /is given/ of 2 children who developed green hair. Copper absorbed from swimming pools was considered to be responsible, the source being either copper piping or a copper-containing algicide. [Reynolds, J.E.F., Prasad, A.B. (eds.) Martindale-The Extra Pharmacopoeia. 28th ed. London: The Pharmaceutical Press, 1982., p. 930]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• IT IS DEBATABLE WHETHER CHRONIC COPPER POISONING, INDUSTRIAL OR NONINDUSTRIAL, EXISTS IN HUMAN BEINGS. MANY CASES OF ILLNESS FORMERLY ATTRIBUTED TO COPPER ARE NOW BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN MORE PROBABLY DUE TO ADMIXTURE WITH OTHER METALS, ESPECIALLY LEAD. [Browning, E. Toxicity of Industrial Metals. 2nd ed. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1969., p. 147]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Chronic copper poisoning has been the subject of considerable dispute since the middle of the 19th century, when the green coloration of the skin of copper workers was thought by some authorities ... to be evidence of injury to their health. This discoloration of skin, hair, & teeth often seen in copper workers is not apparently assoc with ill health. ... /A/ survey /reported in 1900/ of workers employed in the extraction of metallic copper & the manufacture of bronze, some having been in this employment for periods of ... 40 years ... concluded that, in these workers at least, there was no evidence in favor of chronic copper poisoning as an entity. [Browning, E. Toxicity of Industrial Metals. 2nd ed. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1969., p. 149]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• ... More recent observers /than in 1900/ have reported various disturbances of health particularly related to the nervous system, which they attribute to chronic exposure to copper & its compounds, but none is prepared to make any more definite statement than that the cause of the symptoms was "probably" chronic copper poisoning. Such were the cases of 4 brass founders ... /reported in 1932/ who complained of giddiness, loss of appetite, excessive perspiration, & drowsiness; also that of a girl ... /reported in 1931/ who developed Raynaud's disease after fragments of copper had become embedded in her hand, the suggestion being that this might be due to an affinity of copper for the sympathetic system ... . On the evidence avail there does not appear to be any conclusive proof that there exists a form of chronic copper poisoning affecting the central or peripheral nervous system. [Browning, E. Toxicity of Industrial Metals. 2nd ed. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1969., p. 149]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• SINCE THE VAPORIZATION POINT OF COPPER IS HIGH, ABOUT 2,350 DEG C, IT IS VERY RARE THAT FUMES OF THIS SORT /COPPER OXIDE/ ARE ENCOUNTERED IN INDUSTRY. WORKMEN OFTEN SPEAK OF COPPER POISONING AS THEY DO OF BRASS POISONING WHEN THEY MEAN INFECTED CUTS RESULTING FROM HANDLING OF SHARP EDGED COPPER PLATES OR FRAGMENTS. IT IS IMPROBABLE THAT COPPER HAS ANY CHEM ACTION IN SUCH CASES, WITH THE METAL ACTING AS FOREIGN BODY ONLY. [Hamilton, A., and H. L. Hardy. Industrial Toxicology. 3rd ed. Acton, Mass.: Publishing Sciences Group, Inc., 1974., p. 79]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Copper & its alloys are usually driven into the eye by an explosion. ... In the worst cases seen clinically the copper particle penetrates the vitreous body to the retina. This is accompanied by hemorrhage, & rapid formation of an abscess, soon followed by some degree of encapsulation by connective tissue. The vitreous body characteristically is disorganized & destroyed. Total retina detachment & phthisis bulbi follow. In these circumstances there is no time for copper to migrate forward & cause the discoloration of lens, cornea, & iris as is seen in chronic chalcosis associated with less serious injuries. Encapsulation of the foreign body may prolong the process in some cases, but copper has tendency eventually to escape its encapsulation & to continue to do damage. [Grant, W.M. Toxicology of the Eye. 3rd ed. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, 1986., p. 261]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• ... WHEN LENS HAS BEEN DIRECTLY ENTERED OR INJURED BY COPPER CONTAINING FOREIGN BODY, THERE MAY BE FORMATION OF DENSE CATARACT & ACCOMPANYING YELLOW GREEN DISCOLORATION OF LENS. [Grant, W. M. Toxicology of the Eye. 2nd ed. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas, 1974., p. 313]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• The intraocular pressure in eyes with copper foreign bodies is most often not mentioned, but experienced observers have pointed out that when there is a strong ocular reaction to copper in humans ... the pressure is characteristically low. This may be due to reduction of aqueous formation. ... In rare instances open angle glaucoma has developed in eyes with disseminated chalcosis from copper foreign bodies, but not in endogenous chalcosis of Wilson's disease. [Grant, W.M. Toxicology of the Eye. 3rd ed. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, 1986., p. 264]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Verdigris, formed by atmospheric corrosion of the surface of metallic copper presumably composed of copper carbonates & oxides, causes immediate irritation & conjunctival inflammation when accidentally dropped or dusted on the eyes of patients, but the reaction subsides without permanent damage soon after the eye is cleaned by irrigation. [Grant, W.M. Toxicology of the Eye. 3rd ed. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, 1986., p. 260]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• WELDERS EXPOSED TO COPPER FUMES ... /COMPLAINED OF SNEEZING, COUGHING, DIGESTIVE DISORDERS, AND FEVER/. ... CHANGES IN NASAL MUCOSA OCCURRED, CONSISTING OF ATROPHIC RHINITIS WITH COMPLAINTS OF METALLIC TASTE, RUNNY NOSE, AND MUCOSAL IRRITATION IN THE MOUTH AND EYES. ... NASAL ULCERATIONS AND BLEEDING OCCURRED IN WORKERS INHALING FINELY DIVIDED COPPER METAL DUST ... . ALLERGIC CONTACT DERMATITIS IS LESS COMMONLY ENCOUNTERED ... . [Clayton, G. D. and F. E. Clayton (eds.). Patty's Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology: Volume 2A, 2B, 2C: Toxicology. 3rd ed. New York: John Wiley Sons, 1981-1982., p. 1628]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Although copper itself has been known to cause keratinization of the palms /of hands/ & soles /of feet/ it has not been widely recognized as a frequent industrial cause of dermatitis. It is ... of interest to note ... /a/ discription ... of 5 cases of dermatitis /reported in 1952/ in workers in contact with brass, an alloy containing 2 parts of copper & 1 of zinc, with trace amounts of other metals. In all ... cases, patch tests were positive with brass & copper, & ... /it was/ believed that the copper constituent (70%) was responsible. [Browning, E. Toxicity of Industrial Metals. 2nd ed. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1969., p. 150]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Incubation of human spermatozoa with metallic copper is found to bring about a significant fall in the percentage of motile sperm. [Friberg, L., Nordberg, G.F., Kessler, E. and Vouk, V.B. (eds). Handbook of the Toxicology of Metals. 2nd ed. Vols I, II.: Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., 1986., p. V2 247]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• A ONE YEAR FOLLOW UP STUDY IN HEALTHY WOMEN WAS UNDERTAKEN TO STUDY SERUM FERRITIN AS WELL AS OTHER HEMATOLOGIC PARAMETERS PRIOR TO, & 6 & 12 MONTHS AFTER INSERTION OF AN INTRAUTERINE DEVICE, T COPPER 220. A DIRECT RELATION BETWEEN LOW FERRITIN SERUM VALUES & ANEMIA DEVELOPMENT WAS FOUND. MEASUREMENT OF SERUM FERRITIN LEVELS COULD BE A USEFUL TOOL TO ANTICIPATE ANEMIA DEVELOPMENT IN WOMEN WITH INTRAUTERINE DEVICES. [PIEDRAS J ET AL; CONTRACEPTION 27 (3): 289-97 (1983)]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• ANEMIA OCCURRED IN MEN OCCUPATIONALLY EXPOSED TO LOW LEVELS OF COPPER. [FINELLI VN ET AL; HEAVY MET ENVIRON INT CONF 3RD: 475-8 (1981)]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• IT IS GENERALLY AGREED THAT COPPER ITSELF IS LESS TOXIC THAN ITS SALTS ... . [Browning, E. Toxicity of Industrial Metals. 2nd ed. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1969., p. 147]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Several reports of acute hemolytic anemia in patients undergoing hemodialysis have been attributed to excess copper in the dialysis fluid. Leaching of copper from copper tubing in home units and from copper filters and tubing within units have both been reported. Incr copper concn are associated with soft water and acidic water. This effect has been observed at copper concn from 22-50 ug/l in the dialysate. The problem can be controlled by removing copper from the system and monitoring the pH and conductivity of the dialysate. [USEPA; Drinking Water Criteria Document for Copper (Final Draft) p.VI-14 (1985) EPA-600/X-84-190-1]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• The contributions of sulfur dioxide and arsenic to lung cancer were assessed in copper smelter workers with regard to the confounding variable of cigarette smoking. The study included a total of 6,078 white male workers who had worked for at least 3 years in a United States copper smelter between the dates January 1, 1946, and December 31, 1976. Worker exposure to arsenic, sulfur dioxide, dust, nickel, lead, and cadmium was categorized by job and year. The mortality rates for lung cancer in United States copper smelter workers are not unusually high except in one smelter that has a feed with a high arsenic content. [Enterline PE et al; J Occup Med 29 (10): 831-38 (1987)]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Concentrations of 11 metals (cadmium, lead, copper, iron, manganese, cobalt, chromium, nickel, zinc, magnesium, and calcium) and protein in human pancreatic juice were studied. Assuming the flow rate of pancreatic juice to be 1500-2000 ml/day, the daily excretions of metals into duodenum via pancreatic juice were calculated as follows (umoles of metal/day): copper, 6.20-8.26; Toxic (cadmium and lead) and essential metals (copper, zinc, iron, manganese, chromium, and nickel) are excreted daily into duodenum via pancreatic juice. [Ishihara N et al; Arch Environ Health 42 (6): 356-60 (1987)]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• In a cross-sectional study of 20 gun-metal foundry workers (mean age 47 yr) the subclinical neurophysiological effects of exposure to lead, zinc, copper, and tin were evaluated by "short-latency" somatosensory evoked potential. Controls were age and height-matched males without occupational exposure to lead. Range of employment was 1-16 yr (mean 10 yr). In exposed workers mean blood lead was 42 ug/dl, mean zinc plasma 95 ug/dl, mean copper plasma 105 ug/dl, and mean urinary tin 28 ug/l. In workers, the interpeak latency in the cervico-spino-bulbar region (N9(Erb)-N13 latency) was significantly prolonged, and the MCV and SCV in the forearm were significantly slowed when compared with controls. MCV and SCV in the palm were positively related to erythrocyte zinc concentration and plasma copper concentration, respectively. [Araki S et al; Am J Ind Med 10:163-75 (1986)]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Metal fume fever occurred among workers involved in cutting brass pipes with electric torches in an enclosed, poorly ventilated steam condenser. Symptoms most commonly reported among the 26 workers were fever (21), dyspnea (23), chills (21), headache (21), and nausea (19). Fourteen of the workers experienced the symptom of an unusual sweet or metallic taste in the mouth. Clinical signs were limited to wheezing or rales in eight patients; leukocytosis (21) and an elevation of band cell forms (20) were seen in a total of 24 workers. The average time between exposure and onset of symptoms was 5 hr. None of three workers who spent less than 1 hr in the condenser became ill, whereas 25 of the 26 who spent more than 1 hr became ill. Five of 12 workers had urine copper levels in excess of 0.05 mg/l [Clayton, G.D., F.E. Clayton (eds.) Patty's Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology. Volumes 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F: Toxicology. 4th ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1993-1994., p. 2004]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• ... Exposure to copper dust at 0. 1 mg/cu m causes nausea and metal fume fever, with reversible flu like symptoms. Metal fume fever (also called brass founder's ague) is a transient condition and is characterized by fever, chills, muscle pain, and vomiting. Recovery normally occurs within 24 to 48 hr. Tolerance may develop, but is generally lost over the weekend. [Clayton, G.D., F.E. Clayton (eds.) Patty's Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology. Volumes 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F: Toxicology. 4th ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1993-1994., p. 2004]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• A form of contact dermatitis assoc with copper has been reported, but few cases of dermatitis caused by copper ... or compounds occur in industry. Copper allergies have been reported, either related to skin contact with copper ... salts or to copper containing intrauterine devices. /Soluble copper salts/ [Friberg, L., Nordberg, G.F., Kessler, E. and Vouk, V.B. (eds). Handbook of the Toxicology of Metals. 2nd ed. Vols I, II.: Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., 1986., p. V2 244]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• The chief effect from industrial exposures is on the upper resp tract, expressing itself as a metal fume fever with atrophic changes in the nasal mucous membranes & subjective effects associated with the irritative nature of the copper fume, dusts, & mists. Sources of exposure are from fume, from copper ore smelting & related metallurgic operations, from welding, & from dusts of copper metal & copper salts in copper metalworkers & copper polishers. /Copper fume, dusts, and mists/ [Clayton, G. D. and F. E. Clayton (eds.). Patty's Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology: Volume 2A, 2B, 2C: Toxicology. 3rd ed. New York: John Wiley Sons, 1981-1982., p. 1628]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• The acute inhalation of copper fume during refining or welding processes may cause typical metal fume fever with upper respiratory irritation, chills, and aching muscles. A number of workers who developed copper fume fever had serum copper levels which averaged 1.26 mg/l. /Copper fume/ [Cohen SR; J Occ Med 16: 621-4 (1974) as cited in Basett RC; Biological Monitoring Methods for Industrial Chemicals p.88-9 (1980)]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• The bronze powder, used for gilding Christmas cards, contained 70% copper & 30% zinc, & was accidentally aspirated by a child who, after developing a cough, vomiting, chills, cyanosis, abdominal distension, & diarrhea, died of acute bronchopneumonia & pulmonary edema, with autopsy appearances of necrosis of the convoluted tubules of the kidney. /Bronze (copper-tin alloy)/ [Browning, E. Toxicity of Industrial Metals. 2nd ed. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1969., p. 148]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Inhalation of copper fume results in irritation of the upper respiratory tract and an influenza-like illness termed metal fume fever. Signs and symptoms of metal fume fever include chills, muscle aches, nausea, fever, dry throat cough, weakness, and lassitude. There is usually leucocytosis, which may amount to 12,000 to 16,000/ml; recovery is usually rapid, and there are no sequelae. Most workers develop an immunity to these attacks, but it is quickly lost; attacks tend to be more severe on the first day of the work-week. Other effects from copper fume are irritation of the upper respiratory tract, metallic or sweet taste, and in some instances discoloration of the skin and hair. Exposure of workers to concentrations of 1 to 3 mg/cu m for short periods resulted in altered taste response but no nausea; levels of from 0.02 to 0.4 mg/cu m produced no complaints. Transient irritation of the eyes has followed exposure to a fine dust of oxidation products of copper produced in an electric arc. /Copper fume/ [Mackison, F. W., R. S. Stricoff, and L. J. Partridge, Jr. (eds.). NIOSH/OSHA - Occupational Health Guidelines for Chemical Hazards. DHHS(NIOSH) Publication No. 81-123 (3 VOLS). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, Jan. 1981., p. ]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Metal fume fever occurred among workers involved in cutting brass pipes with electric torches in an enclosed, poorly ventilated steam condenser. Symptoms most commonly reported among the 26 workers were fever, dyspnea, chills, headache, and nausea. Fourteen of the workers experienced the symptom of an unusual sweet or metallic taste in the mouth. Clinical signs were limited to wheezing or rales in eight patients; leukocytosis and an elevation of band cell forms were seen in a total of 24 workers. The average time between exposure and onset of symptoms was 5 hr. None of three workers who spent less than 1 hr in the condenser became ill, whereas 25 of the 26 who spent more than 1 hr became ill. Five of 12 workers had urine copper levels in excess of 0.05 mg/l /Copper fume/ [Clayton, G.D., F.E. Clayton (eds.) Patty's Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology. Volumes 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F: Toxicology. 4th ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1993-1994., p. 2004]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• ... Exposure to copper dust at 0.1 mg/cu m causes nausea and metal fume fever, with reversible flu like symptoms. Metal fume fever (also called brass founder's ague) is a transient condition and is characterized by fever, chills, muscle pain, and vomiting. Recovery normally occurs within 24 to 48 hr. Tolerance may develop, but is generally lost over the weekend. /Copper dust/ [Clayton, G.D., F.E. Clayton (eds.) Patty's Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology. Volumes 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F: Toxicology. 4th ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1993-1994., p. 2004]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• IT IS GENERALLY AGREED THAT COPPER ITSELF IS LESS TOXIC THAN ITS SALTS... /CU & CU SALTS/ [Browning, E. Toxicity of Industrial Metals. 2nd ed. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1969., p. 147]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Agents assoc with incr risk /of pancreatic cancer/ include ... copper fumes. /copper fumes/ [International Labour Office. Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety. 4th edition, Volumes 1-4 1998. Geneva, Switzerland: International Labour Office, 1998., p. 4.10]**PEER REVIEWED**
  

Back to Top

Non-Human Toxicity Excerpts

• To study the mechanism of action of copper intrauterine devices ... in vitro tests on mouse ova ... /were conducted & the results showed/ that copper wire ... /was/ lethal at the blastocyst stage. ... /In another study/ embryo lethality in rats during late preimplantation period /was observed/. This could be due to either a direct action of copper or a secondary effect from the inflammatory reaction of endometrial tissue. [Shepard, T.H. Catalog of Teratogenic Agents. 5th ed. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1986., p. 148]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Highly localized deposits of hepatic and renal copper have been observed in monkeys with copper IUDs and in control monkeys. Both copper and inert material IUDs have been observed to incr plasma copper levels. This may be explained by the observation that stress or inflammation alone can result in incr serum copper levels. [USEPA; Drinking Water Criteria Document for Copper (Final Draft) p.III-5 (1985) EPA-600/X-84-190-1]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• In order to establish a possible relationship between hemolytic and peroxidant activities of copper ions, lipid peroxidation was studied in plasma and whole blood incubated for 24 hr with different concentrations of copper. The copper induced lipoperoxidation was clearly demonstrated in plasma incubated with high concentrations of copper (12.10X-4 and 20.10X-4 M). With a copper concentration similar to that found in acute copper intoxication (4.10X-4 M) no lipoperoxidation was observed and yet hemolysis occurred, reduced glutathione decreased dramatically and methemoglobin increased. Despite its prooxidant activity and its capacity to produce lipoperoxidation, it has not been proven that copper ions at pathophysiological concentrations induce hemolysis by an oxidative mechanism. [Piriou A et al; Toxicol 47 (3): 351-61 (1987)]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• The concentration of total plasma bile acids was measured in normal sheep and in sheep in which liver damage was induced by chronic copper poisoning, ligated bile ducts, or induced ketosis. All three treatments produced a rise in total bile acid concentration in plasma which was proportional to the degree of hepatic damage seen histologically and which tended to parallel changes in activity of iditol, and glutamate dehydrogenase and aspartate amino transferase in plasma. Plasma bile acid concentration was a more sensitive method of detecting these types of liver damage than was the measurement of total plasma bilirubin concentration, and could be used to assess alterations in liver function in sheep. [West HJ et al; Res Vet Sci 43 (2): 243-8 (1987)]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Symptoms of acute copper toxicity are sporadic fever, tachycardia, hypotension, hemolytic anemia with intravascular hemolysis, oliguria, uremia, coma, cardiovasuclar collapse, & death. The prompt emetic effect of copper limits its oral toxicity ... /because it/ irritates the nerve endings in the stomach & initiates the vomiting reflex in higher animals. Inhalation of dusts & fumes ... cause congestion of nasal mucous membranes, ulceration & perforation of the nasal septum, & pharyngeal congestion. ... Highly water soluble copper salts are more toxic than sparingly soluble salts; anions such as arsenite & chromate enhance apparent copper toxicity. /Soluble copper salts/ [Venugopal, B. and T.D. Luckey. Metal Toxicity in Mammals, 2. New York: Plenum Press, 1978., p. 27]**PEER REVIEWED**
  

Back to Top

Human Toxicity Values

• None found

Back to Top

Non-Human Toxicity Values

• None found

Back to Top

Absorption, Distribution and Excretion

• Small fragments of copper ... in the anterior vitreous just behind the lens in a number of cases have been observed for years, gradually dissolving & disseminating copper to lens, cornea & iris, where copper has a predilection for the basement membranes. [Grant, W.M. Toxicology of the Eye. 3rd ed. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, 1986., p. 261]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Copper dissolved from the wire used in certain intrauterine contraceptive devices has been shown to be absorbed systemically. [International Labour Office. Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety. 4th edition, Volumes 1-4 1998. Geneva, Switzerland: International Labour Office, 1998., p. 63.14]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• ... Intrauterine devices containing metallic copper ... raise the endometrial copper concentration 2 fold, & this copper excess might be transferred to the fetus. [Friberg, L., Nordberg, G.F., Kessler, E. and Vouk, V.B. (eds). Handbook of the Toxicology of Metals. 2nd ed. Vols I, II.: Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., 1986., p. V2 247]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Circadian rhythms in the urinary excretion of eleven heavy metals and organic substances were examined under free, water restrictive and water loading conditions for 6 days (2 days for each of the three conditions) in twenty metal workers exposed to lead, zinc, and copper. Circadian rhythms were found for all heavy metals and organic substances as well as for urinary flow rate, creatinine and total urinary solutes. The rhythm in the copper excretion depends on the creatinine rhythm, ie the rhythm of glomerular filtration. [Aono H, Araki S; Int Arch Occup Environ Health 60 (1): 1-6 (1988)]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Accumulation of copper in a population of the grasshopper, Chorthippus brunneus, from grasslands around a copper refinery complex (0.75 sq km divided into four sites) was monitored, and compared with a control site distant from sources of metal contamination. A sub-control site in an unpolluted stabilized sand dune system where the soil copper concentration was deficient was also studied. Each site contained similar mixed grass swards of copper-tolerant Agrostis stolonifera and Festuca rubra which were the major components of fecal pellets of refinery site grasshoppers. Monthly samples of grasses and the insects, adult and nymphal specimens were obtained for analysis from June to November (n= >100/species/site). Monthly mean copper concentrations in A stolonifera were; (a) refinery sites, 39.4 ug/g to 152 ug/g, respectively); (b) 1 km site, 16.8 ug/g; and (c) control respectively); (b) 1 km site, 16.8 ug/g; and (c) control site, 8.2 ug/g. For F rubra, copper concentrations were: (a) refinery sites, 26.4 ug/g to 86.3 ug/g; (b) 1 km site, 20.1 ug/g, and (c) control site, 7.4 ug/g. For C brunneus concentrations were: (a) refinery sites, 300 to 380 ug/g respectively); (b) 1 km site, 66.4 ug/g; and (c) control site 37.5 ug/g. Total body concentration of Cu in grasshoppers increased with mean dietary contamination levels; the relationship was not linear and reached a peak at 50 ug/g of dietary Cu. Accumulation of Cu in the insects closely followed the seasonal increase in contamination levels of the grasses. Copper accumulated progressively through the instars of the insects. Nymphs from the refinery sites had significantly increased copper concentration above control values for all instars, and the accumulation seemed to begin soon after hatching. Concentrations are reduced in newly emerged adults which suggests some copper is excluded at the final molt. Both body and integumental concentrations were significantly elevated in refinery samples compared to controls, and refinery insects had a significant elevation of integument over body copper. [Hunter BA et al; Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 16 (6): 711-6 (1987)]**PEER REVIEWED**
  
• For copper particles of approx 1 um mass median diameter, approx 50-60% of the inhaled amount would be expected to be deposited in the pulmonary compartment, approx 20-30% in the nasopharyngeal compartment, and <10% in the tracheobronchial compartment. About 50-80% of the particles of <1 um mass median diameter retained in the respiratory system are absorbed into the bloodstream. /Copper particles in USA aerosols, but not windblown dusts, are predominantly in the respirable range/. /Copper/ [Nriagu JO; Copper Environment Nriagu JO, ed p.43-75 (1979) as cited in USEPA; Health Issue Assessment: Copper p.16 (1987) EPA/600/8-87/001]**PEER REVIEWED**
  

Back to Top

Metabolism/Metabolites

• None found

Back to Top

TSCA Test Submissions

• None found

Back to Top

Footnotes

¹ Source: the National Library of Medicine's Hazardous Substance Database, 10/28/2007.