SwedenLivingWorld world_2_fill WorldBusiness BusinessSports sports-soccer SportsEntertainmentEntertain

Traces of cocaine found in sharks off Brazil

Researchers in Brazil have made an unusual discovery: sharks with traces of cocaine in their muscles and liver have been found off Brazil's coast.

» Published: 27 July 2024

Traces of cocaine found in sharks off Brazil
Photo: Foto: Reuters/TT

Researchers in Brazil have made an unusual discovery: sharks with traces of cocaine in their muscles and livers have been found off the coast of Brazil.

In total, 13 specimens of the species white-spotted spurdog shark have tested positive for the central stimulant drug.

The researchers behind the study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, wanted to investigate how illegal drug consumption affects marine life. They therefore chose to test a smaller species of sharks that live in small areas near the coast, where the risk of exposure to the drug is higher than further out at sea, writes CNN.

The traces of cocaine are believed to come from wastewater from people who take the drug and from illegal laboratories, says one of the study's co-authors, Enrico Mendes Saggorio, to the TV channel.

Regardless of where the drug comes from – which we cannot yet determine – the results show that cocaine is being traded on a large scale in Brazil, says the same researcher to The Guardian.

I had already found cocaine in rivers that flow into the sea outside Rio, but it was a surprise to find it in sharks and to such an extent, says Saggorio to the newspaper.

The researchers have not been able to determine whether cocaine damages the sharks' health, but previous research has shown that narcotics harm other animals, such as fish and mussels.

Another aspect that the researchers have difficulty assessing is what effects cocaine-contaminated shark meat can have on humans who eat it.

TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

Medical cannabis becomes legal in Denmark
1 MIN READ

Medical cannabis becomes legal in Denmark

Putin threatens Kyiv with hypersonic missile
1 MIN READ

Putin threatens Kyiv with hypersonic missile

Ukraine: Captured soldiers shot dead
1 MIN READ

Ukraine: Captured soldiers shot dead

Germany: Ready to Move Air Defense to Poland
1 MIN READ

Germany: Ready to Move Air Defense to Poland

Georgia Freezes EU Membership Talks
1 MIN READ

Georgia Freezes EU Membership Talks

German doctor accused of eight murders
1 MIN READ

German doctor accused of eight murders

Australia bans social media for minors
2 MIN READ

Australia bans social media for minors

Starmer invited to EU meeting
1 MIN READ

Starmer invited to EU meeting

Court: Romanian result should be recounted
1 MIN READ

Court: Romanian result should be recounted

Drones for the Ukraine War to be Built in Finland
1 MIN READ

Drones for the Ukraine War to be Built in Finland

Hundreds killed in battles in Syria
1 MIN READ

Hundreds killed in battles in Syria

China: We will "crush" independence aspirations
1 MIN READ

China: We will "crush" independence aspirations

Many feared dead in landslide in Uganda
1 MIN READ

Many feared dead in landslide in Uganda

Dramatic High Glacier Melting in Norway
1 MIN READ

Dramatic High Glacier Melting in Norway

Ongoing Alarms from Gaza: Children are Starving to Death
2 MIN READ

Ongoing Alarms from Gaza: Children are Starving to Death

Another Deadly Migrant Accident near Samos
1 MIN READ

Another Deadly Migrant Accident near Samos

Americans want to avoid talking politics with family
1 MIN READ

Americans want to avoid talking politics with family

Record-high interest in Denmark's weapon amnesty
1 MIN READ

Record-high interest in Denmark's weapon amnesty

Israel: Attacked Hezbollah in southern Lebanon
2 MIN READ

Israel: Attacked Hezbollah in southern Lebanon

Weak Army to Counter Hezbollah: "Not So Brilliant"
4 MIN READ

Weak Army to Counter Hezbollah: "Not So Brilliant"