Of late, drinking water from copper bottles is being touted as being extremely healthy for health, and people from all around the world have been taking to this habit. As we all know, copper is a key mineral that helps in many crucial body functions, including red blood cell production and immune health. However, does drinking water from copper bottles really affect your kidneys? Here's what we know...

How copper water is beneficial
First things first. Copper as a mineral, though important, is needed by the body in small amounts only. It helps maintain healthy bones, connective tissues, and also supports the immune system. When water is stored in a copper bottle, tiny amounts of copper ions naturally leach into the water. This results in some health benefits such as antibacterial and better digestion.


What is copper toxicity?
On the flipside, excess copper intake can lead to copper toxicity. The symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. In severe cases, excess copper can damage organs such as the liver and kidneys. Studies show that high copper exposure can cause acute kidney injury and long-term kidney damage, which might be irreversible.

How does excess copper harm your kidneys
We all know that kidneys remove excess waste from our blood, and that also includes copper. Drinking water with safe levels of copper usually poses no risk to healthy kidneys. But if copper levels become too high-due to excessive copper leaching or overuse of copper bottles, this can overload the kidneys and cause damage.

Who is at risk?
People with existing kidney or liver problems are more vulnerable to copper toxicity and should avoid drinking water from copper bottles without consulting with your doctor first. Also, prolonged storage of water in copper bottles, especially beyond 6–8 hours, is not advisable.

How much is safe?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one should not consume more than 1.3 milligrams of copper per day, with maximum being 2 milligrams. Some copper bottles may release more copper than this if not properly maintained or if water is stored too long, so one should take care. Another alternative is to ditch the bottle, and store the water in a glass to minimise the copper intake.

What should one keep in mind

Use high quality copper bottles to reduce excess copper leaching.

Store only clean, filtered water in the bottle. Do not use it for any other form of liquids such as lemon water, tea, coffee etc. Do not store hot water or ice cold water. Stick to room temperature.

Do not store water for more than 6 to 8 hours in the bottle. To achieve this, store the water in the bottle during the day time (early morning) and keep sipping on it till evening.

Clean your copper bottle regularly using natural cleaners like lemon juice and salt or vinegar to remove copper oxide buildup.


Do not use copper bottles as your sole water source.

Avoid if you have kidney or liver disease, or consult your doctor before use.

Check for signs of damage or corrosion on the bottle, which can increase copper release.