Drinking water containing copper well above the action level will most likely cause _______.

• A. Heart palpitations
• B. Nausea and vomiting
• C. Neuropathy
• D. Severe headaches

Answer: (B)

When copper is ingested in drinking water at levels well above the action level, the first and most likely health effect is irritation of the gastrointestinal tract. This makes nausea and vomiting the best-supported symptom, as the stomach and intestines react to the copper exposure. Other options are not characteristic immediate outcomes of acute copper ingestion from water: heart palpitations aren’t a typical direct result, neuropathy is more associated with long-term or high-level exposure affecting nerves, and severe headaches are nonspecific and not the hallmark acute response to copper in water. The action level signals the need to take steps to reduce copper exposure to prevent these GI effects.