Just when you thought it was safe ...

[Scared Silly]

Sharks off Brazil coast test positive for cocaine​

 

[lowwall]

Sharks off Brazil coast test positive for cocaine​

"Sharks off the coast of Brazil have tested positive for cocaine, scientists say.

Marine biologists tested 13 Brazilian sharpnose sharks taken from the shores near Rio de Janeiro and found they tested for high levels of cocaine in their muscles and livers.

The concentrations were as much as 100 times higher than previously reported for other aquatic creatures."

Two thoughts. That's a very cute little shark at the start of the article and I can't wait for the sequel to Cocaine Bear. Cocaine Bear: The True Story Behind the Ultimate Party Animal

 

[heftysmurf]

"Sharks off the coast of Brazil have tested positive for cocaine, scientists say.

Marine biologists tested 13 Brazilian sharpnose sharks taken from the shores near Rio de Janeiro and found they tested for high levels of cocaine in their muscles and livers.

The concentrations were as much as 100 times higher than previously reported for other aquatic creatures."

Two thoughts. That's a very cute little shark at the start of the article and I can't wait for the sequel to Cocaine Bear. Cocaine Bear: The True Story Behind the Ultimate Party Animal

What a wild movie! I dug it.

RE: Cocaine sharks -- 100 times higher?! That's got to be runoff from some processing labs (as mentioned) to be that elevated. I doubt their user poop theory is valid. Sharks eat fish but I doubt brown trout is their top choice.

 

[lexvil]

 

[DivingLane]

Fun series of fictional books of scuba divers includes one story that includes possible cocaine doped sharks: The 3rd Key: Sharks in the Water, by Eric Douglas

 

[lowwall]

RE: Cocaine sharks -- 100 times higher?! That's got to be runoff from some processing labs (as mentioned) to be that elevated. I doubt their user poop theory is valid. Sharks eat fish but I doubt brown trout is their top choice.

I found the study:

“Cocaine Shark”: First report on cocaine and benzoylecgonine detection in sharks

Cocaine (COC) and benzoylecgonine (BE), the main COC metabolite, have been detected in aquatic ecosystems. Studies focusing on wild fish are, however,…

www.sciencedirect.com

"All samples (13/13) tested positive for COC [cocaine], with 92 % (12/13) testing positive for BE. COC concentrations (23.0 μg kg−1) were over 3-fold higher than BE (7.0 μg kg−1). COC levels were about three-fold significantly higher in muscle (33.8 ± 33.4 g kg−1) compared to liver (12.2 ± 14.2 μg kg−1). Females presented higher COC concentrations in muscle (40.2 ± 35.8 μg kg−1) compared to males (12.4 ± 5.9 μg kg−1)."

A μg or microgram is a millionth of a gram, so we are only talking about concentrations of 0 to 70 parts per billion. This could easily come from environmental exposure.