Sharks in Brazil test positive for cocaine, say scientists

Another shark that forms part of the study.
 - Dr. Rachel Ann Hauser-Davis

Sharks living off the coast of Brazil have tested positive for cocaine, according to new research, the first time that the drug has been detected in free-ranging sharks.

Scientists tested 13 Brazilian sharpnose sharks in the waters off the city of Rio de Janeiro and found cocaine present in both the liver and muscle tissue of all 13 specimens, according to a paper by researchers at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil sent to CNN on Tuesday.

The species was chosen due to its small size and the fact that it lives in a small area of coastal waters, where it is exposed to significant contaminant discharges for its entire life cycle, according to the study.

Cocaine levels were around three times higher in muscle tissue than liver tissue, according to the study, while female sharks had higher cocaine concentrations in muscle tissue compared to males.

By Jack Guy,

Full story at Yahoo News.