Its determined by the relative solubility and the concentration of the copper binding ligands. Studies have shown that copper concentrations are toxic when marine phytoplankton are confined to areas that are heavily impacted by anthropogenic emissions. Some of the studies have used a marine amphipod to show how Copper affects it. This particular study said that the juveniles were 4.5 more times sensitive to the toxins than the adults. Another study used 7 different algal species. They found that one species was more sensitive than the others, which was Synechococcus, and that another species was more sensitive in seawater, which wasThalassiosira weissflogii.One study used cyanobacteria, diatoms, coccolithophores, and dinoflagellates. This study showed that cyanobacteria was the most sensitive, diatoms were the least sensitive, and the coccolithophores and dinoflagellates were intermediate. They used copper ion in a buffer system and controlled it at different levels. They found that cyanobacteria reproduction rates were reduced while other algae had maximum reproduction rates. They found that Copper may influence seasonal successions of species. Bacteria
Copper and copper alloys such as brass have been found to be toxic to bacteria via the oligodynamic effect. The exact mechanism of action is unknown, but common to other heavy metals. Viruses are less susceptible to this effect than bacteria. Associated applications include the use of brass doorknobs in hospitals, which have been found to self-disinfect after eight hours, and mineral sanitizers, in which copper can act as an algicide.
Copper toxicity (or Copperiedus) is a type of metal poisoning caused by an excess of copper in the body. Copperiedus could occur from consuming excess copper salts, but most commonly it is the result of the genetic condition Wilsons disease and Menkes disease, which are associated with mismanaged transport and storage of copper ions. Copper is essential to human health as it is a component of many proteins. Chronic toxicity by copper is "rare". The suggested safe level of copper in drinking water for humans varies depending on the source, but tends to be pegged at 1.3 mg/L. So rare is the toxicity of copper that copper(II) sulfate is a routine reagent in undergraduate chemistry laboratories. Signs and symptoms
Acute symptoms of copper poisoning by ingestion include vomiting, hematemesis (vomiting of blood), hypotension (low blood pressure), melena (black "tarry" feces), coma, jaundice (yellowish pigmentation of the skin), and gastrointestinal distress. Individuals with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency may be at increased risk of hematologic effects of copper. Hemolytic anemia resulting from the treatment of burns with copper compounds is infrequent.Chronic (long-term) copper exposure can damage the liver and kidneys. Mammals have efficient mechanisms to regulate copper stores such that they are generally protected from excess dietary copper levels.Those same protection mechanisms can cause milder symptoms, which are often misdiagnosed as psychiatric disorders. There is a lot of research on the function of the Cu/Zn ratio in neurological, endocrinological, and psychological conditions.