It is unnecessary to analyze the negative impact of man on the natural environment. In some cases, however, reality surpasses imagination. In the last few hours, the story with them has been circulating on the internet “addicted” sharkswhich were spotted and examined by scientists off the coast of Rio in Brazil.
In more detail, according to what the BBC reports, marine biologists analyzed 13 sharks of the species Sharpnose which had been caught off the coast of Rio de Janeiro and found to have high levels of cocaine in their muscles and livers. Concentrations were up to 100 times higher than those reported for other marine creatures.
The research, carried out by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, is the first to detect the presence of cocaine in sharks. Experts believe cocaine is entering the waters through illegal laboratories where the drug is produced or through the feces of drug users. Packages of cocaine lost or thrown overboard by traffickers could also be a source, although this is less likely, according to the researchers.
Sarah Novais, a marine toxicologist at the Center for Marine and Environmental Sciences of the Polytechnic University of Leiria, told Science magazine that the findings are “very important and potentially worrying”.
The female sharks in the study were pregnant, but the effects of cocaine exposure on fetuses are unknown, according to experts. Further research is needed to determine whether cocaine affects shark behavior. However, previous research has shown that drugs likely have similar effects on animals as they do on humans.
Last year, chemical compounds such as benzoylecgonine, which is produced by the liver after cocaine use, were found in seawater samples collected from the south coast of England.
Source: www.digitallife.gr
