HEALTH People asked to toss copper/silver alloy coins into India's rivers to kill pathogens.

[ainitfunny]

I always said the American pioneers used silver (and possibly copper too) coins in their covered wagon water barrels kill germs to purify drinking water. Silver coins SERVED A PURPOSE, they were not merely a medium of exchange but a way in everyone's pocket to kill germs. THAT IS WHY THE WEALTHY GAVE SILVER CUPS TO THEIR BABIES, to give them a better chance to live, with water that was safer to drink out of the silver cup. So also did many soldiers in early wars carry collapsible silver cups or silver flasks.

Fair use for discussion/education purposes:

http://www.copper.com.au/cdc/article.asp?CID=48&AID=388
Copper Coins Save Rivers
(11/3/2008)

Copper coins are being tossed into rivers in India to help reduce water pollution.

Devotees who worship their rivers with offerings of metal coins will be asked to throw in coins made of copper-silver instead. It is hoped the new coins will purify the water by preventing bacterial cell division, leading to the eventual death of micro-organisms.

With the help of the Indian Institute of Technology, thousands of copper silver coins at a proportion of 94:4 are being minted and given out to devotees.

The idea is one of a number of solutions put forward by India’s environmentalists and scientists to help stem the alarming decay of its river systems.

Not a new concept, copper and silver have long been used for water disinfectant. Copper-silver ionization was first developed in Europe and the United States in the 1950s and became of interest when NASA used copper-silver ionization for drinking water production aboard Apollo space ships in 1960. The ionization process enabled astronauts to produce clean drinking water without needing chlorine.

Copper-silver ionization is brought about by electrolysis. An electric current is created through copper-silver, causing positively charged copper and silver ions to form.

Copper ions in the water search for particles of opposite polarity, such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. Here they form electrostatic compounds, which disturb cell wall permeability and cause nutrient uptake to fail.

Silver ions penetrate the core of the micro-organism. Once inside, they bond to various parts of the cell, such as the DNA and RNA, cellular proteins and respiratory enzymes, causing all life support systems in the cell to be immobilised. As a result, there is no more cellular growth or cell division, causing bacteria to no longer multiply and eventually die out.

Among its many applications, copper-silver ionization is used in hospitals and nursing homes for the deactivation of Legionella bacteria. It is also used as an alternative to chlorine disinfectant for swimming pools and by drinking water production companies.

Copper and silver ions remain in the water for a long period of time, all the while working away to disinfect the water. When the Legionella bacteria make a second appearance, the copper that remains in the water’s bio film ensures that it doesn’t multiply.

When copper and silver ions are added to the water constantly – as with India’s faithful throwing coins in the water - the concentration of Legionella bacteria remains low. Unlike other disinfectants, the effectiveness of copper-silver does not depend on water temperature or speed of water – it works even in rivers that contain slow-running water.

 

[CarolynA]

And if you look closely you can see the bubbles from the scubba divers who are scooping up the copper & silver..........

 

[Bad Hand]

One thing that would help is if they quit tossing dead bodies into the river. It is going to take more than silver coins.

 

[Monkeywrench]

Maybe this is why China has been gobbling up copper-for water purification, disease control...

 

[Satanta]

wonder what effect it will have on the aquatic mutant lifeforms...errr...fish?

 

[dissimulo]

The copper is generally more toxic than the silver. Unfortunately, it is also more toxic to people. It is also widely toxic to bacteria, so if they actually get enough into the river to matter (which seems unlikely as bacteria grow in abundance even in waterways thoroughly polluted by industrial heavy metals) they will kill not just "bad" bacteria but "good" bacteria crucial to the normal function of the river.

They appear to be going through the stage the US went through in the 40s and 50s where proposed solutions to environmental problems involved all kinds of tangential ideas, but rarely involved mitigating the actual cause of the problem. If they want to fix the river, they need to stop dumping crap in it and allow it to fix itself. No amount of copper/silver coins will ever replace a sewage treatment system - they'll just eventually put toxic amounts of copper into an already polluted river.

 

[Hansa44]

The copper is generally more toxic than the silver. Unfortunately, it is also more toxic to people. It is also widely toxic to bacteria, so if they actually get enough into the river to matter (which seems unlikely as bacteria grow in abundance even in waterways thoroughly polluted by industrial heavy metals) they will kill not just "bad" bacteria but "good" bacteria crucial to the normal function of the river.

They appear to be going through the stage the US went through in the 40s and 50s where proposed solutions to environmental problems involved all kinds of tangential ideas, but rarely involved mitigating the actual cause of the problem. If they want to fix the river, they need to stop dumping crap in it and allow it to fix itself. No amount of copper/silver coins will ever replace a sewage treatment system - they'll just eventually put toxic amounts of copper into an already polluted river.

Didn't we use copper pipes for our water many years ago?

 

[dissimulo]

Didn't we use copper pipes for our water many years ago?

Still do and it is pretty much harmless. The body can handle a fair amount of copper, so it takes quite a bit to be toxic. But, it will also take a huge amount to make a difference in the river. Realistically, they are probably not going to accomplish anything but throw a lot of money down the drain.

 

[Rabbit]

My thought exactly CarolynA, dip nets for sale, anyone?

 

[China Connection]

As Dissimulo says copper is deadly. I used to use it to control algae in aquariums. One drop of a diluted solution into a four foot tank got the algae. Two got the red tailed black sharks! Three got everything.

 

[Witness]

We used to paint the bottom of our boat with paint containing copper to control algae and save on gas (less drag) but you cannot buy that paint anymore the government outlawed it.