The History of Copper
Before it was recognized that microorganisms existed, citizens of the
early
Roman Empire used copper piping to improve public hygiene. They observed
that water delivered through copper was safe to drink and that copper
utensils
and cookware helped to prevent the spread of disease. Much later, after
microbes
were discovered and the germ theory of infection linked bacteria and
other
microorganisms to infection and disease, scientists began to understand
how
copper’s antimicrobial properties could be harnessed to provide
additional
benefits. Today, the antimicrobial uses of copper have been expanded to
include
fungicides, pesticides, antifouling paints, antimicrobial medicines,
oral hygiene
products, hygienic medical devices, antiseptics and sinks for the
kitchen and
bath environment.
You Cannot Live Without It
Copper is one of a relatively small group of metallic elements which are
essential
to human health. These elements, along with amino and fatty acids as
well as
vitamins, are required for normal metabolic processes. However, as the
body
can not synthesize copper, the human diet must supply regular amounts
for
absorption.
Do You Get Enough?
Until recently, it was generally believed
that most people consumed adequate quantities of copper. However, modern
research has shown that only 25% of the U.S. population consume the
amount of copper a day estimated to be adequate by the U.S. Food and
Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences. It is now
recommended to have a minimum daily intake of 1.2 mg/day of copper for
adults.
Copper In Medicine
Copper has been used as a medicine for thousands of years including the
treatment
of chest wounds and the purifying of drinking water. More recently,
research has
indicated that copper helps prevent inflammation in arthritis and
similar diseases.
Recent scientific investigations have also demonstrated the efficacy of
copper to
inactivate (kill) harmful microbes. These include L. pneumophila, the
principal
agent of Legionnaire’s disease, methicillin-resistant Staphyloccous
aureus
(the deadly pathogen that has become a primary concern for health care
administrators), E. coli (a food and waterborne bacterium that causes
severe illness
and death) and Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that originates in
soil and water
and is spread during food handling. The colonization of such harmful
microbes has
been shown to be 2.1 times greater with glass and 3.0 times greater with
stainless
steel when compared to copper products. E. coli has shown to remain
viable on
stainless steel surfaces in excess of four and a half hours, while E.
coli is completely
dead within 75 minutes of contact with a copper surface.
All facts and figures are taken directly and indirectly from the Copper
Development Association available at
www.copper.org/health
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