copper coins in questionable water?

J

Jim malone

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May 25, 2007
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I was just reading an article about the use of copper in hospitals to reduce the spreading of resistant MRSA bacteria. The use of copper in say washing bassins, doorhandles will kill a lot of bacteria.
http://www.copper.org/antimicrobial/homepage.html
Would it be a smart idea to introduce pure copper disks or even better a copper mesh in say a water bottle? If you place it on the bottom, the copper will kill a lot of bacteria.
It seems it's highly effective against say E-Coli. After 90 minutes 99% of e-coli ( a common and dangerous germ in survival situations) is destroyed.

I know silver has a similar strong effect also as an antibacterial and antifungal. Just think if the use of silver threads in insoles against "smelly feet" and the use of silver in antimicrobiological cremes ( like flammazine to treat burn wounds, and kill fungi and both gram positive as gram negative bacteria)?
As copper is non toxic, and it will kill bacteria, it might serve as a good low cost germ killer, when you don't have access to boiling the water?
It seems our forefathers found out it's benefits too!

http://www.copper.org/antimicrobial/properties/history.html and http://www.copper.org/antimicrobial/properties/efficacy.html

Back to the copper drinking bottle? I know it will probably not kill parasites etc, but in a pure survival situation, parasites can be treated afterwards, while an E-coli attack could kill you in the bush. Or what about using this copper mesh in stainless or nyalgene bottles?

http://www.themanstoreonline.com/To...sh-Metal-Cloth-Fabric-p/todol copper mesh.htm
or http://www.microwireproducts.com/products/knittedcopper.shtml

and stuff some inside your water bottle?It wont take much space but it will have a huge contact area.

See this article from research in India. http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0035920309000182

"Abstract
Water inoculated with 500–1000 colony forming units/ml of Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhi and Vibrio cholerae was stored overnight at room temperature in copper pots or in glass bottles containing a copper coil devised by us. The organisms were no longer recoverable when cultured on conventional media, by contrast with water stored in control glass bottles under similar conditions. The amount of copper leached into the water after overnight storage in a copper pot or a glass bottle with a copper device was less than 475 parts per billion, which is well within the safety limits prescribed by the WHO. The device is inexpensive, reusable, easy to maintain, durable, does not need energy to run and appears to be safe. It has the potential to be used as a household water purification method for removing enteric bacteria, especially in developing countries."
 
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makes sense to me.

I would love a spun copper water bottle.

another interesting article on copper and water: http://www.sensitiveplanet.com/category.jhtm?cid=138

for a base camp or home setup, one could cut up a 1/2" copper pipe into hundreds of discs (massive surface area) and put them inside a big stainless water jug..............
 
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"copper is non-toxic" ??? Copper in small amounts as a nutrient is essential but in large amounts IS toxic. Homes where there is acidic water and copper pipes can cause various symtoms of this toxicity !! Be careful !
 
question is, how LONG would water have to be left in such a setup BEFORE becoming toxic? minutes? days, months? I think if one was to have a small jug filled with sliced up copper pipe discs, and used the water everyday (ie refilling every day) there wouldn;t be an issue of toxicity.

who knows......anyone>
 
The real question is if cupric oxides are still effective. Copper doesn't stay bright forever!
 
Interesting post. Years ago before the internet access I had to do an experiment and write a paper for my respiratory therapy graduation. I placed copper mesh in heated aerosol generators delivering oxygen. Some had them, some didn't. After a number of days the warm mist particle were impacted on a petri dish and the type of bacterial was grown. The generators with the copper had minimal growth. Now we use disposable setups. Since silver is used in creams for burns it must inhibit bacterial grown. Makes you wonder about the kid with a silver spoon in his mouth. Silver goblets for wine etc for the rich. I stay fairly healthy in a hospital enviorment with resistant organisms. I wear a silver bracelet for years. Probably good handwashing. I thought the green tarnish on copper was toxic. Put a penny in your mouth it doesn't taste very good. Make my container out of gold or silver. Just my thoughts. Interesting post.
 
I had a MRSA bacterial infection, had me in the hospital for six days, nurses pumping a different antibiotic through me every four hours (24 hrs a day) till they found one that worked. Guess I should have just swallowed a few pennies. HaHa
 
If anyone decides to experiment with copper or silver coins and water, be careful of which coins you use. Modern U.S. pennies are thinly copper plated zinc, not copper. 100% copper pennies were last minted by the US in 1857. These were large cents, about the size of the "golden" dollar coins. The Flying Eagle and Indian Cents from 1856 to 1864 were 88% copper and 12% nickel. Beginning in 1864 Indian Cents, and later Lincoln Cents, were minted in 95% copper and 5% tin, technically this is bronze. The last year that these "copper" pennies were made was 1981. Both the older copper alloy and zinc pennies were made in 1982, then only the plated zinc afterward. And our post-1963 "silver" coins are not silver. The silver coins (dimes, quarters, halves and dollars) were only 90% silver, 10% nickel.
 
US cents from 1962-1982 were brass. Pre-1962 were bronze as Codger notes, except 1943 (zinc plated steel) and 1944-46 (brass).
 
Several metals, including copper, and many copper alloys (brass, bronze, etc) are toxic. Bacteria are simply more sensitive to it's toxicity than humans. I believe the mechanism of toxicity is different too. My guess is that experimenting with copper doodads probably won't hurt much, and might be useful in reducing real world bacterial risks. Possible downsides if your water source is a bit acidic, causing the metal to leach into the water, and thus be ingested. Might make the water taste a bit funky, too, which may be a more pressing issue.

Unfortunately, I don't think viruses react to these metals in the same way.
 
There has been a previous thread on this very subject. Quite a few posts debating the point. Unfortunately, my search skills aren't good enough to locate it.

DancesWithKnives
 
I'm a fish farmer. Trace levels of copper kills many, many types of fish.
I rest my case.

Activated charcoal filtering is the way to go for a B.O.L. or base camp.
A 30 inch long piece of 3 inch PVC,full of AC, is a good rig.
I use it as the final filter for my moonshine.:eek: Takes the bitterness out;):cool:

Do a search for " trickle towers" I think you tinkerers may also find that interesting.
 
toucan oasis is right about actified charcoal, most effective purifier per weight ratio in world.the product is'nt heavy in small quantities & certainly is safe.
 
I used to keep a ( pure .999 bullion) silver round in my water bottle. Several people have told me it made the city water taste better.

It's not as effective as charcoal filtering, which I now do, but it's better than nothing. People thought it was eccentric though.

Recall it was common for families to keep a silver coin in the milk before refrigeration , and pasteurization. It made the milk last longer before it went bad.

Perhaps it was an old "farmers" tale and didn't do anything. I believe it though it's not in the same league as UV , Iodine, or chlorine/chloramine, oxegenation/ozone treatments.
 
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