A generally treatable condition resulting from a overdose of copper. Possible sources of copper include:
Symptoms of acute copper poisoning include:
Symptoms of long term copper overexposure include:
- Hair loss
- Infertility and problem pregnancies
- Early PMS, and possible stoppage of menstruation altogether.
- Prohibits you from losing weight no matter what you do.
- Makes you more vulnerable to viral infections.
- Can lead to dyslexia
- Kidney and liver damage (only in extremely high amounts)
- Death (also only in very high amounts)
How to treat copper poisoning
The normal treatment is to induce vomiting unless the patient is unconscious or experiencing convulsions. If a large amount of copper is ingested, a emergency room trip may be needed. If so the usual steps they might perform include:
Prognosis
If treated promptly and properly, copper poisoning is rarely severe. If toxicity is due to long-time accumulation, the ultimate outcome depends on the extent of damage in body organs affected by the metal.