Does copper really purify water?
Though water filters and purifiers are easily available, not everyone has a reliable source of drinking water or running water in their homes or can afford to buy costly filters. For this reason, many people in India prefer to follow the age-old practice of storing water in copper vessels to purify it. They believe that the copper in the vessel kills micro-organisms, viruses, mould, fungi and bacteria and makes the water pure enough to drink.
Copper does help in purifying water. In one study contaminated water was stored in copper vessels for 16 hours.When the water was later tested, it was found that the copper had damaged the cell walls of the micro-organisms, killing them in the process. The water was visibly clear as well. Although earlier it was regarded as a method mainly advised in Ayurveda, recent scientific studies have shown that copper does help in purifying water.
To make sure water is properly purified, it has to be kept in a copper vessel overnight or up to two days. This ensures that a sufficient amount of copper seeps into the water to kill the harmful germs present in it.
Is the copper harmful to our health? No, say researchers.
The copper present in the water that was tested was well below the Recommended Daily Amount (RDA) Some scientists are also of the view that we get most of our requirement of copper, an essential mineral. from our food. Moreover, since the water.
Water supplied in cities and towns is already filtered and cleaned, storing it in a copper container may not be necessary. However, where the water supply is known to be unsafe or contaminated, using copper containers for storage after boiling or filtering the water, will make it safer to drink.
