Sharks found near Brazil coast test positive for cocaine
WeirdNews
Sharks found near Brazil coast test positive for cocaine
(Web Desk) - Scientists report that tests on sharks near the Brazilian coast have revealed the presence of cocaine.
Since tons of cocaine have been discovered in Florida, South America, and Central America, researchers have long hypothesized that drugs thrown into the water by traffickers may have an effect on marine life.
A study from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil has now found evidence sharks are in fact being affected by drugs.
Thirteen wild Brazilian sharpnose sharks were purchased from small fishing vessels, and the scientists dissected them since the species lives exclusively in coastal waters and is therefore most likely to be impacted by pollution.
Then, using a common method known as liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry, which separates molecules in a liquid, tests were performed on muscle and liver tissue to detect the presence of cocaine and the primary metabolite of the drug, benzoylecgonine.
All 13 sharks were positive for the drug with concentration as much as 100 times higher than previously reported for other aquatic creatures.
It marks the first study to find the presence of cocaine in free-range sharks, and found the substance was more prevalent in muscle tissue than in the shark's livers.
