Just a few months after cocaine was detected in the bodies of sharks off the coast of South America, research has found fentanyl and other drugs in dozens of dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico, adding to a growing record of pharmaceuticals infiltrating our marine environments.

Researchers found fentanyl in Gulf of Mexico dolphins, highlighting growing pharmaceutical pollution in marine life after cocaine-tainted sharks in South America.

Drug smugglers using open waterways to move products may be affecting the health of sea life in the Gulf of Mexico

Drug smugglers using open waterways to move products may be affecting the health of sea life in the Gulf of Mexico

Of 89 dolphins tested in the Gulf of Mexico, 30 contained some form of pharmaceutical—and 18 had fentanyl in their blubber.

Researchers have detected fentanyl — as well as other drugs — in bottlenose dolphins from the Gulf of Mexico. This discovery was actually accidental, and was initially revealed during a routine boating survey in 2020.

Researchers have detected the presence of human pharmaceuticals, including fentanyl, in dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a recent study. The post Researchers Find Fentanyl in Dolphins from the Gulf of Mexico first appeared on The Inertia.