Bahamas sharks found with cocaine, caffeine and painkillers in ‘horrifying’ new study
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The clear blue waters of the Bahamas, a tourist paradise, are also home to sharks – and new research shows that these sharks are exposed to drugs.
Researchers from Brazil and Chile analyzed 85 sharks for the presence of caffeine, cocaine and painkillers.
The study, titled, “Drugs in Paradise,” was published by scientists in Brazil and Chile in the journal Environmental Pollution.
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Of the 85 sharks analyzed, substances of emerging concern (CECs) – such as caffeine, cocaine, and painkillers – were found in 28 sharks off the coast of Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas.
“To our knowledge, this is the first report of caffeine and acetaminophen found in any shark species worldwide,” the scientists said. (Stock)
“To our knowledge, this is the first report of caffeine and acetaminophen found in any shark species worldwide, and the first report of diclofenac and cocaine in sharks in the Bahamas, an area often described as clean,” the study noted.
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Scientists analyzed serum samples from tiger sharks, blacktip sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, Atlantic nurse sharks and lemon sharks.
Caffeine, cocaine and painkillers have been found in 28 sharks off the coast of Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas. (Stock)
“Illicit pharmaceuticals and drugs are increasingly being recognized as pollutants of emerging concern (CECs) in marine environments, particularly in areas of rapid urbanization and tourism-driven development,” the research abstract noted.
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By 2025, 12.5 million people will visit the Bahamas, according to the Bahamas Department of Tourism, Investments & Aviation.
The researchers concluded that sharks with CECs showed altered triglycerides, urea and lactate levels.
The lead researcher in this new study says that tourists who urinate in the water and defecate are the main drivers of this pollution. (Stock)
Lead researcher and biologist from the Federal University of Paraná Natascha Wosnick told Science News that currents could transport traces of drugs from the wild or other sources – but divers are the most likely source.
“It’s mainly because people go there, pee in the water and throw their feces in the water,” said Wosnick.
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He also said, “The [sharks] biting things you have to investigate and eventually get exposed.”
Previous studies have focused mainly on the effects of drugs on invertebrates and bony fish, “but sharks – important players in the marine ecosystem – have been left out,” said Smithsonian magazine.
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The new data also showed that sharks with dirty blood “had changes in other biological markers, which can indicate how the tissues work. Although the researchers do not know if the changes are dangerous, the team says it can lead to changes in behavior,” the same source noted.
