Cocaine, caffeine and painkillers consumed by sharks in Bahamas, study finds

Sharks in the Bahamas are consuming substances including caffeine, painkillers and even cocaine, according to a new study by marine scientists who say it could potentially impact the animals' health and behavior. In:

Sharks in the Bahamas are consuming substances including caffeine, painkillers and even cocaine, according to a new study by marine scientists who say it could potentially impact the animals' health and behavior.

The research team, made up of marine biologists and scientists from a variety of international programs, analyzed blood samples from 85 sharks of five different species. The sharks were captured about four miles off the coast of a remote island and their blood levels were tested for 24 legal and illegal drugs. 

Twenty-eight of the sharks had detectable levels of caffeine, two common over-the-counter anti-inflammatory painkillers, or, in one instance, cocaine in their blood, according to the study. Some tested positive for more than one substance. 

Medications, illicit drugs and other substances are "increasingly recognized as contaminants of emerging concern" in oceans and other bodies of water, the researchers said. They noted areas that are "undergoing rapid urbanization and tourism-driven development" are especially at risk. This is the first study looking at the effect of these contaminants on sharks in the Bahamas, the researchers said. 

"While the detection of cocaine — an illicit substance — tends to draw immediate attention, the widespread presence of caffeine and pharmaceuticals in the blood of many analyzed sharks is equally alarming," said lead author Natascha Wosnick, a zoologist and associate professor at the Brazil's Federal University of Parana, in an email to CBS News. "These are legal substances, routinely consumed and often overlooked, yet their environmental footprint is clearly detectable. This underscores the need to critically reassess even our most normalized habits."