Phloxface

I bought some "Jungle Tank Buddies Fungus Clear" and thankfully before I used it I read the WHOLE back of the package, including the fine print. The last line in the directions says "This product contains a chemical known in the State of California to cause cancer"
Why would anyone use a product on a sick fish that would cause cancer??!! I found the same statement on a bottle of antibacterial fish food also made by Jungle. I am returning both products. I have used "Tank Buddies Parasite Clear" for Lava's black spots but it has different ingredients and has no cancer warning.
I just thought you should all be aware of this and you can make up your own mind whether you'd want to use a product that causes cancer on a fish with simple finrot. With all the other meds available I think I'll treat with Maracyn 2 or some other antibiotic.

Eskielvr

It probably means using it a lot would have the potential to cause it. I don't think using it one time will do any harm, otherwise they wouldn't manufacture it. It's like with aspartame. If you consume a lot of that on a regular basis it can cause brain cancer, but people still use it to sweeten their tea all the time.

chickadee

Melafix, Pimafix, and many other meds also carry that warning. It is one ingredient and was tested on rats and mice. I think that the benefits have to be weighed against the objections. If you have a fish that is dying of finrot, you may be willing to expose it to the med to see if it will improve. I would say it is comparable to taking X-rays. Used in excess, the radiation can cause cancer but as directed will more than likely not.

It remains every person's responsibility to decide what they will use or not. I do thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Rose

Asinity

That warning is on many products that we use daily - and let's face it; everything causes cancer.

At work, several of my cutting tool inserts carry that label, and gives you proper precautions when using and handling. While I'm not overly sure what it means exactly, I believe that it is a general warning which means it could not only cause cancer in fish, but likely also in humans and other animals.

Handling that product may cause that ingredient to settle in the skin which could be dangerous for humans, so be cautious when you use it.

Phloxface

I've decided never to use it. There are so many other options for meds why would I use something that can cure my fish of finrot and then give him a tumor a few months later. I've never seen that warning on products I use. I'd never use something if it said that, not for me or my pets.
I just wanted people to be aware of it. It's your choice if you want to take that chance.

Asinity

Sadly I don't have that choice at work, there are only so many options when cutting metals - and unfortunately most of them carry that label.

When I was younger I used to build model warplanes, the cement/glue used had that label, as did most paints. It's amazing some of the stuff that people use that carry that label. Keep your eye open for that when you're at the store, you might be surprised.

Then again I could be a little biased because I see it almost daily. *shrugs* maybe it's gotten to me noggin'.

0morrokh

Like half the fish meds you can get say that they may cause cancer....I generally ignore labels like that. Some law requires the companies to write that on their packages, but the chances of actually getting cancer from it are nothing unless maybe you eat huge quantities of it (and why you would do that I don't know... :P)

Hmm...There seems to be a bit of ambiguity here...I was assuming that this cancer-causing chemical was supposed to cause cancer in people (or that's what they're required by law to say, though it probably never would...) -- but after reading the thread more carefully it seems some of you think it would cause cancer in fish? Or can these chemicals supposedly cause cancer in anything? Now I'm confused...

Asinity

It likely means that it is known to cause cancer in general, regardless of which species the product is used on. Again, very unlikely but there's always that risk of it.

Terry

I'd ignore the California warnings. California lists an unbelievable amount of substances as carcinogens, and those warnings are on a lot of things that we use every day in our lives. Plus, the warnings are for subtances that are known or suspected human carcinogens - not fish carcinogens (based on studies on rats & mice). That list in California gets bigger all the time. Also keep in mind that a lot of the medications used to save human lives, or cure disease, are poisonous at high doses. You have to put it all into perspective or you'd never use any medication, for your fish, or for yourself.

LZ Floyd

The chemicals in the Jungle Labs Fungus Clear that prompted the Cali warning are nitrofurazone and furazolidone. These same chemicals are found in Furan 2, which carries the same Cali warning on it's label. A long time ago, nitrofurazone was found to cause tumors in rats and mice. No fish were mentioned wrt nitrofurazone. Nor were humans mentioned. Though I didn't bother to google it, I suspect the same goes for the furazolidone. Both chemicals were put on the Cali list in 1990. The FDA (whose word I am likely to take seriously) has banned the use of nitrofurazone when it comes to food animals. However, that same site (which addressed the use of the drug in aquatic animals) spoke to the long-time practice of using these meds for treating ornamental fish and mentioned studies that had found that solutions of these chemicals used to bathe fish did not cause problems.

As for Cali warnings, I look elsewhere for my info.

Mike

0morrokh

Thanks Mike, that's good to know it's fine for the fishies.