Pro-oxidant activity of vitamin C in drinking water ... - Ã bo Akademi

Review of the literatureFigure 4. The distribution of carbonate species as a fraction of totaldissolved carbonate in relation to solution pH.3.3. Copper intake from drinking waterThe daily consumption of copper through diet lies between 1 and 2 mg/day in adults and0.6 to 0.8 mg/day in two-year-old children. Copper is present in all foods but the highestconcentrations can be found in liver, nuts, seeds and chocolate (around 10 mg/kg). 159, 160Drinking water is not normally included in the daily intake of copper and the total intake ofcopper can vary greatly depending on the copper concentration in the drinking waterconsumed.More than 90 percent of the water pipe system in the USA, Sweden, Great Britain andNorway consists of copper pipes. The proportion of copper pipes in the water system is40-60 percent for Germany, Spain, France and Italy but only 12 percent in Japan. 161 Asurvey in Seattle (USA) estimated that the intake of copper from drinking water wasapproximately 10 times higher among persons with copper pipes (1.3-2.2 mg per day) intheir homes than for those having galvanized pipes. Thus, if copper pipes corrode, theconcentration of copper in drinking water will rise. 162 The corrosion of copper pipes isinfluenced by the time drinking water stays in the pipes. Flushing the tap can reduce the24