"Not a B Movie: Sharks Are Ingesting Cocaine In The Ocean, Scientists Find"

"Scientists in Brazil have come up with the first evidence that sharks are being exposed to cocaine.

Rachel Ann Hauser Davis, a biologist who worked on the study at Brazil’s Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, told NPR that they dissected 13 wild sharpnose sharks caught near Rio de Janeiro. All tested positive for cocaine in their muscles and livers.
 
“The key findings of the study are the presence of cocaine in sharks," Hauser Davis says. "The actual high levels of cocaine detected in muscle is indicative of chronic exposure.”
 
Narcotraffickers being chased in the high seas often toss bales of cocaine overboard. But Hauser Davis says it’s more likely the sharks in the study were exposed to Rio de Janeiro wastewater contaminated with the drug."

John Otis reports for NPR July 24, 2024.