Dolphins in the Wild Test Positive for Fentanyl, Implying Illegal Substances are Polluting marine Environments.
Porpoises are submerged in illicit substances, specifically fentanyl, as reported by a research team that scrutinized 89 blubber specimens from these recognized cetaceans.
The researchers' study, scheduled for publication in iScience, unveils the extent to which pharmaceutical toxins have seeped into United States waterways and affect a highly esteemed marine mammal species.
The study identified fentanyl, along with the drugs carisoprodol and meprobamate, commonly used medically for pain relief, in 30 out of the 89 dolphins examined, which were retrieved from locations in Texas and Mississippi.
Touching or being in close proximity to fentanyl may not be lethal—contrary to a prevalent misconception, occasionally perpetuated by law enforcement—however, fentanyl has been linked to tens of thousands of fatal drug overdoses in the U.S. It's essential to reiterate that fentanyl is detrimental for dolphins' systems.
Fentanyl is 100 times stronger than morphine and can be fatal if not utilized under controlled conditions. The Gulf of Mexico is not a controlled environment, and dolphins function as "effective bioindicators of ecosystem health in contaminant research," as per the paper. In simpler terms, fentanyl may also be impacting other organisms in the Gulf of Mexico.
Fentanyl was detected in "substantially more" blubber samples than carisoprodol and meprobamate, which the team noted "is expected, as fentanyl easily distributes to fat." 63% of the tissue samples were from male dolphins, with the remaining 37% from female dolphins. Twelve of the samples were collected from the Mississippi sound in 2013, demonstrating the issue's persistence along the gulf coast and its history stretching back at least a decade.
“As 40% of all detected pharmaceuticals were found in the historical samples, pharmaceutical pollution may be a long-standing issue that has been largely unnoticed,” the study authors wrote. “Examining historic water and tissue samples across various marine species for pharmaceutical detection will shed light on the issue's longevity.”
Unbelievably, dolphins aren't the first marine life form to garner attention for human prescription drugs in their system this year. Over the summer, cocaine-laced sharks were discovered off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, hinting that trace quantities of misused human drugs may be affecting a wide array of sea creatures, unaware of their unwelcome foes.
The study in iScience also highlights the potential hazards of technology and advancements in medicine, as synthetic drugs like fentanyl, which are products of science and technology, disrupt the future health of marine wildlife. Furthermore, the prolonged presence of pharmaceutical pollution in marine environments suggests the need for future research on technology's impact on ecosystems.
