Cocaine, caffeine, painkillers consumed by sharks in Baha...

What’s Happening

Let’s talk about Marine biologists found detectable levels of caffeine, cocaine and the over-the-counter painkillers in the blood of 28 sharks.

World Cocaine, caffeine and painkillers consumed Bahamas, study finds By Kerry Breen Kerry Breen News Editor Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews. A graduate of New York University’s Arthur L. (it feels like chaos)

Carter School of Journalism, she before worked at NBC News’ TODAY Digital.

The Details

She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use. Read Full Bio Kerry Breen / 2:28 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Sharks in the Bahamas are consuming substances including caffeine, painkillers and even cocaine, according to a new study who say it could potentially impact the animals’ health and behavior.

The research team, made up of marine biologists and scientists from a variety of international programs, analyzed blood samples from 85 sharks of five different species. The sharks were captured about four miles off the coast of a remote island and their blood levels were tested for 24 legal and illegal drugs.

Why This Matters

Twenty-eight of the sharks had detectable levels of caffeine, two common over-the-counter anti-inflammatory painkillers, or, in one instance, cocaine in their blood, according to the study . Some tested positive for more than one substance. Medications, illicit drugs and other substances are “increasingly recognized as contaminants of emerging concern” in oceans and other bodies of water, the researchers dropped.

This is part of the larger geopolitical picture unfolding right now.

Key Takeaways

• They noted areas that are “undergoing rapid urbanization and tourism-driven development” are especially at risk.
• This is the first study looking at the effect of these contaminants on sharks in the Bahamas, the researchers dropped.

The Bottom Line

This is the first study looking at the effect of these contaminants on sharks in the Bahamas, the researchers dropped. “While the detection of cocaine an illicit substance tends to draw immediate attention, the widespread presence of caffeine and pharmaceuticals in the blood of many analyzed sharks is equally alarming,” dropped lead author Natascha Wosnick, a zoologist and associate professor at the Brazil’s Federal University of Parana, in an email to CBS News.

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