Scientists have discovered that sharks off the coast of Brazil have tested positive for cocaine. This finding comes from a study conducted by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil. For years, researchers have suspected that sea life could be impacted by drugs dumped into the ocean by smugglers. Large amounts of cocaine have been found in waters around Florida, South, and Central America. This study now provides evidence that sharks are indeed being affected.
Researchers dissected 13 wild Brazilian sharpnose sharks. These sharks were bought from small fishing boats and chosen because they live their entire lives in coastal waters, making them more likely to be affected by pollution. The scientists tested muscle and liver tissue from the sharks using a technique called liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. This technique separates molecules in a liquid to detect substances like cocaine and benzoylecgonine, the main metabolite of cocaine, reported Sky News.
The results were startling. All 13 sharks tested positive for cocaine, with drug concentrations up to 100 times higher than what has been reported in other sea creatures. This study is the first to find cocaine in free-range sharks, and it showed that the drug was more prevalent in the sharks' muscle tissue than in their livers.
Despite these findings, the study noted that this area of research is still very limited. The impact of cocaine on aquatic life is not fully understood yet. More research is needed to determine the long-term effects on these sharks and other marine life.
