Brazil: Researchers reported testing 13 sharks off the coast of Rio de Janeiro and found traces of the drug cocaine in their muscles and livers.
It is said that this is happening because the chemical is mixed in the sea from illegal drug manufacturing plants. The research, conducted by the Osvaldo Cruz Foundation, was the first to detect cocaine in sharks.
That is, experts believe that cocaine enters the ocean either from illegal drug labs or through drug waste. It is said that the sharks may be ingesting dropped or lost packages of cocaine from drug smugglers.
Also, all of the female sharks studied were pregnant, but the effects of cocaine on their unborn babies were unknown. It also said more research is needed to see if cocaine affects sharks’ behavior.
