HEALTH ETHICS: BENEFITS OF USING COPPER POTS FOR DRINKING WATER
Microbially-unsafe water is still a major concern in most developing countries. Although many water-purification methods exist, these are expensive and beyond the reach of many people, especially in rural areas.
Copper has a sterilising effect on water. It is particularly effective against diarrhoea causing bacteria like E Coli. So having water stored in copper vessels is naturally cleansed and purified.
Ayurveda recommends the use of copper for storing drinking-water. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of copper pot on microbially-contaminated drinking-water.
ADVANTAGES:
· Kills bacteria
· Regulates tyroid Function
· Cures Arthritis Pain
· Heals Wounds Faster
· Stimulates Brain Activity
· Improves Digestion
· Beats Anemia
· Good to use during Pregnancy
· Protects Against Cancer
· Slows Down Ageing Process- removes wrinkles in skin
The antibacterial effect of copper pot against important diarrhoeagenic bacteria, including Vibrio cholerae O1, Shigella flexneri 2a, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, enteropathogenic E. coli, Salmonella enterica Typhi, and Salmonella Paratyphi is reported.
When drinking-water (pH 7.83±0.4; source: ground) was contaminated with 500 CFU/mL of the above bacteria and stored in copper pots for 16 hours at room temperature, no bacteria could be recovered on the culture medium.
Providing safe drinking-water to the majority of the world's population, especially to those in developing countries, is still a major problem. Approximately a billion people lack access to safe drinking-water
(1). Water and food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, and protozoa cause infectious diarrhoea. Diarrhoea is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity, especially in children of developing countries
(2) and claims two million lives each year
(3). The major aetiological agents that account for over a million diarrhoeal deaths per year, particularly in developing countries, are enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), rotavirus, Vibrio cholerae, and species of Shigella, which are spread through contaminated water and food or from person to person.
