Brazil's cocaine sharks make waves: Sequel to 'cocaine bear' now a hot topic
Sharks off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, have been found with cocaine in their systems, as revealed by a study published in the Science of The Total Environment. Researchers from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation discovered cocaine in the muscle and liver tissues of 13 Brazilian sharpnose sharks. This contamination is largely due to inadequate sewage treatment facilities and clandestine refining operations.
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Study Highlights and Implications
Between September 2021 and August 2023, scientists collected samples from the sharks to monitor the environmental impacts of pollution on marine life. All 13 sharks tested positive for cocaine, with concentrations up to 100 times higher than those found in other marine animals. Rachel Ann Hauser-Davis, a biologist at the IOC Environmental Health Assessment and Promotion Laboratory, stated, «It is necessary to carry out specific studies to determine the exact consequences of this contamination on animals.» She added that the contamination might impact shark growth, maturation, and fecundity.
Possible Sources of Contamination
The primary sources of cocaine in the marine environment include untreated sewage and illegal drug dumping. Some sharks might ingest cocaine by attacking drug packages lost at sea. «We don't usually see many bales of coke dumped or lost at sea here, unlike in Mexico and Florida,» a scientist
