'Cocaine Sharks' Found Off Brazil Coast
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Sharks in waters off the coast of Brazil have tested positive for cocaine, scientists have found
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Researchers have long suggested that sea life could be impacted by drugs dumped into the water by smugglers
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A study from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil has now found evidence sharks are in fact being affected by drugs polluting the ocean
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In the study conducted on 13 Brazilian sharpnose sharks from waters near Rio de Janeiro, scientists found high levels of cocaine in their muscles and livers
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Muscle and liver tissue were tested using a standard technique called liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry to look for cocaine and benzoylecgonine
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All 13 sharks were positive for the drug, with a concentration as much as 100 times higher than previously reported for other aquatic creatures
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The results of those tests revealed that every single sample from the sharks tested positive for cocaine
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This is the first study to find the presence of cocaine in free-range sharks
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