Terrestrial Mammals and Humans

Copper toxicity towards plants is less common than deficiency. This is in contrast to animals, where toxicity may be induced by an environmental excess of the element or with normal environmental concentrations in genetically susceptible individuals (Dawson and Price 1977). In the food chain, tolerant plant and invertebrates may accumulate copper and pose a certain risk for higher animals which consume them. Plants contain between 4 and 20 mg Cu kg dry weight, marine algae 2 to 68, fish 0.7 to 15, muscle of mammals about 10, and mammalian bones 1 to 26 (Bowen 1985). The total amount of copper in the adult human body is about 100 mg blood contains about 1 mg Cu Foods with a higher copper content include the parenchymatous internal organs of mammals, birds, and fishes especially liver, shellfish, cocoa, and red wine. The average daily copper consumption is about 0.8-1.6 mg 

02 mg in the USA (Klevay 1991). This is considered to be much lower then the desirable copper daily intake of 2-5 mg Cu for adult humans (Mertz 1991) children require somewhat more Cu on a weight basis (WHO 1996). 

Uptake, Absorption, Transport and Distribution, Metabolism and Elimination in Plants, Animals, and Humans 

Copper is biologically available as Cu(I) or Cu(II) in organic salts and in organic complexes. In estuarine segments, most of the copper is found on and in the roots, bound to the cuticula and to organic matter, and only 10% is in the leaves (Adalsteinsson 

Complexes with some soil colloids or on iron compound surfaces are, however, taken up to a lesser extent. 

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The environmental PCA concentrations reported in aquatic biota, terrestrial mammals and human milk are shown in Table 5. There is now a growing body of information on PCAs in biota, especially in Canada. In Europe, measurements of PCAs in biota using GC-ECNIMS are limited to Sweden. 

Table 5. Published concentrations (jag kg-1) of PCAs in aquatic biota, terrestrial mammals and human milk... 

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