Bahamas sharks found with cocaine, caffeine and painkillers in ‘alarming’ new study

A paradise for tourists, the crystal clear blue waters of the Bahamas are also home to sharks, and a new study suggests they may have been exposed to drugs.

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

The study, titled “Drugs in Heaven,” was published in the journal Environmental Pollution by scientists in Brazil and Chile.

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

“To our knowledge, this is the first report of caffeine and acetaminophen detected in any shark species worldwide and the first report of diclofenac and cocaine in sharks from the Bahamas, an environment generally described as pristine,” the study said.

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Scientists analyzed serum samples from tiger sharks, blacktip sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, Atlantic nurse sharks and lemon sharks.

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

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

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

The researchers concluded that sharks with CEC showed changes in triglyceride, urea and lactate levels.

The lead researcher of the new study says tourists urinating in the water and flushing it down the drain are the most likely source of contamination. (iStock)

Natascha Wosnick, principal investigator and biologist at the Federal University of Paraná, said: Science News runoff may have carried traces of drugs from sewage or other sources; however, divers are the more likely source.

“That’s mostly because people go there, urinate in the water, and dump their sewage into the water,” Wosnick said.

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He also said: ” [sharks] “It bites things to investigate and eventually comes out.”

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

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The new data also showed that sharks with tainted blood “had changes in some biomarkers that could indicate how tissues are working. Although the researchers don’t know whether the changes are harmful, the team says they could lead to behavioral changes.” The same source noted.