Thanks for bringing to my attention. I will remember next time someone asks about fenbendazole. DMSO isn't dangerous on its own per se, but the problem as noted by Dkeller_nc is that it can carry chemicals right through the skin. This is called transdermal drug delivery! If you for instance had some toxins produced in your water, it could carry these right through your skin into your bloodstream - and bam, you're out cold.
Thank you for the clarification Courtney! So if I was to dose with fenbendazole, I would if this would make the med more potent since it will permeate the tissue of all animals more easily. Also, if I am to do a water change within 24 hours of dosing, can I even get my hands wet?
Once the DMSO is dissolved in 100+ L of water it will be too dilute to help. You have to directly apply DMSO to your skin to have any affect. Bodybuilders take steroids by dissolving the greasy steroids in DMSO and then rubbing the solution into their muscles! You don't have to worry about getting your hands wet once you have dosed the compound. If you want to remove fenbendazole from your system, you don't need to do a water change, but just add carbon. The carbon will removel fenbendazole out of your water like a dentist pulls out a tooth.
Awesome, thank you so much for the help again! Great information!
Yeah, my particular comment about DMSO specifically applied to the 100% DMSO liquid and whatever might be dissolved in it (in this case, fenbendazole), not a highly dilute solution in aquarium water. From what I can gather, fenbendazole isn't known to be highly toxic to humans, but it is also not approved for use in people. So it probably pays to be cautious, wear proper gloves, avoid getting it on your skin, and disposing of the solution after use and preparation to avoid another household member spilling it on their skin.
I wouldn't worry. 9 mL of DMSO in 212 gallons of water gives a final DMSO concentration of 0.002%. This will not increase absorption of the tank water through your skin. DMSO cannot be easily removed and can probably only be removed gradually through water changes. Carbon might be able to absorb a small amount, but DMSO is very polar and carbon optimally removes nonpolar organic compounds. DMSO can be metabolized by bacteria to DMS (dimethyl sulfide), which is volatile and as Wikipedia says, " has a characteristic disagreeable odor. It is a component of the smell produced from cooking of certain vegetables, notably maize, cabbage, beetroot, and seafoods. It is also an indication of bacterial contamination in malt production and brewing"
Thanks for your response. No matter 15ml or 9ml It is a very small amount. It just had me worried a bit.
Hi Randy,
Excellent. If bacteria can remove it, that’s a good sign. Thank you very much.
