Thiabendazole (TBZ or tiabendazole) is a fungicide and parasiticide. It is known by the brand names Mintezol, Tresaderm, and Arbotect.

Uses

It is used primarily to control mold, blight, and other fungally caused diseases in fruits (e.g. oranges) and vegetables; it is also used as a prophylactic treatment for Dutch Elm disease.

Thiabendazole is also used as a food additive, a preservative with E number E233. For example, it is applied to bananas to ensure freshness.

Medicinally, thiabendazole is also a chelating agent, which means that it is used medicinally to bind metals in cases of metal poisoning, such as lead poisoning, mercury poisoning or antimony poisoning. As an antiparasitic, it is able to control roundworms, hookworms, and other helminth species which attack wild animals, livestock and humans. In dogs and cats thiabendazole is also used to treat ear infections.

Safety

The substance appears to have a slight toxicity in higher doses, with effects such as liver and intestine disorder at high exposure in test animals (just below LD50 level). Some reproductive disorders and decreasing weanling weight have been observed, also at high exposure. Effects on humans from use as drug includes nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness, or headache; very rarely also ringing in the ears, vision changes, stomach pain, yellowing eyes and skin, dark urine, fever, fatigue, increased thirst and change in the amount of urine. No mutagenic or carcinogenic effects have been shown.

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