Sharks in Bahamas found to have cocaine and other drugs in their systems, study says

The crystal-clear blue waters ofthe Bahamas, a paradise for tourists, are also home to sharks — and a new study suggests these sharks are being exposed to drugs.

Researchers in Brazil and Chile analyzed 85 sharks for the presence of caffeine, cocaine and painkillers.

The study titled, “Drugs in Paradise,” waspublished by scientistsin Brazil and Chile in the journal Environmental Pollution. 

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Of the 85 sharks analyzed, containments of emerging concern (CECs) — such as caffeine, cocaine, and painkillers — were detected in 28 sharks off the coast of Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas.

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“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of caffeine and acetaminophen detected in any shark species worldwide,” the scientists said.(iStock)

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of caffeine and acetaminophen detected in anyshark speciesworldwide, and the first report of diclofenac and cocaine in sharks from The Bahamas, an environment commonly described as pristine,” the study noted.

Caffeine, cocaine and painkillers were detected in 28 sharks off the coast of Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas.(iStock)

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“Pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs are increasingly recognized as contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in marine environments, particularly in areas undergoing rapid urbanization and tourism-driven development,” the study’s abstract noted.

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In 2025, 12.5 million people visited the Bahamas, according to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation.

The researchers concluded the sharks with CECs showed altered triglycerides, urea and lactate levels.

The lead researcher of the new study says tourists who are urinating in the water and dumping sewage are the most likely source of the contamination.(iStock)

Lead researcher and Federal University of Paraná biologist Natascha Wosnick toldScience Newscurrents could have transported drug traces from sewage or other sources — but divers are the more likely source.

“It’s mostly because people are going there, peeing in the water and dumping their sewage in the water,” said Wosnick.

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She also said, “The [sharks] bite things to investigate and end up exposed.”

Past studies have focused primarily on the effects of drugs on invertebrates and bony fish, “but sharks — important players in ocean ecosystems — have been largely left out,” saidSmithsonian magazine.

Ashley J.