Marine biologists have discovered that sharks swimming off the coast of Brazil tested positive for cocaine. This is the first time the drug has been detected in sharks.
Scientists at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation tested 13 sharpnose sharks in the waters off the city of Rio de Janeiro. They found cocaine present in both the liver and muscle tissue of all 13 animals.
Cocaine is an illegal stimulant drug. It makes messages between the brain and body move faster. People use it to feel energetic and happy for a short time. They usually snorting it through the nose.
Researchers believe the sharks got the cocaine from sources such as drug users’ waste that ended up in the water or from illegal labs dumping the drug.
Another possible but less likely reason is that smugglers transporting cocaine at sea lost or dumped the drugs.
Exposure to cocaine can have serious health effects on the sharks. It can damage their DNA and affect their ability to process fats. Whether the cocaine changes the sharks’ behavior is still being studied.
The scientists call the research results worrying for marine life. They said that it is very likely that fish and other animals that sharks prey on are also contaminated with cocaine.
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