US EditionSharks in the Bahamas Are Full of Cocaine, Caffeine, and Painkillers
Nearly a third of sampled sharks near Eleuthera Island showed traces of caffeine, common painkillers, and cocaine, linked to human wastewater and tourism pollution, researchers said.
- On Tuesday, researchers led by biologist Natascha Wosnick reported that sharks near Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas tested positive for human pharmaceuticals and cocaine, published in Environmental Pollution.
- The researchers noted that drugs likely enter water from people "peeing and dumping sewage," while lost or discarded drug shipments also represent potential contamination sources.
- Nearly a third of the 85 sharks tested positive for caffeine, acetaminophen, and diclofenac, with contaminated specimens showing metabolic shifts tied to stress and energy use.
- Marine scientists warn that ingestion of these contaminants might be "modifying the sharks' behavior," prompting urgent calls to address pollution in ecosystems often perceived as pristine.
- Similar detections in Brazilian sharpnose sharks, where 92 percent of muscle samples contained cocaine, reveal these contaminants of emerging concern represent a global ecological challenge.
77 Articles
77 Articles
Sharks Showing Unusually High Levels of Cocaine
The expression “coked to the gills” has never been more apt. Scientists from Brazil have discovered that sharks swimming in the Bahamas are testing positive for a potpourri of substances, ranging from caffeine to cocaine and painkillers — as if they, too, are ready for a party in an island paradise. The implications of the findings, detailed in a study in the journal Environmental Pollution, make for quite the comedown. That the substances are t…
28 sharks test positive for cocaine in the Bahamas as 2026 study reveals tourism impact
A landmark study of 85 sharks near Eleuthera Island has officially confirmed that 28 individuals, nearly a third of the sample, have tested positive for human-derived drugs including cocaine, caffeine, and common painkillers. The research, published this weekend, Sunday, March 29, 2026, represents the first time these “emerging contaminants” have been detected in the blood of top Caribbean… Source
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