Researchers find traces of caffeine, cocaine in sharks in The Bahamas | The Jerusalem Post

Jpost · Apr 08, 2026 · 234 words · By JERUSALEM POST STAFF

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What to know about Researchers find traces of caffeine, cocaine in sharks in The Bahamas

Sharks in The Bahamas tested positive for multiple contaminants linked to human activity, according to NBC News.

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Sharks in The Bahamas tested positive for multiple contaminants linked to human activity, according to NBC News.

Why it matters

The study, published in the journal Environmental Pollution, documented cocaine, caffeine, and painkillers acetaminophen, and diclofenac in tissue samples from 85 sharks.

Common ground

According to the study, the proliferation of vacation homes and rental properties has “significantly increased the volume and chemical complexity of local wastewater.” The research, titled “Drugs in Paradise: Caffeine and Cocaine Detected in Bahamas Sharks,”…

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Researchers find traces of caffeine, cocaine in sharks in The Bahamas?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The researchers said this is the first report of caffeine and acetaminophen in any shark species worldwide?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.jpost.com/science/article-892367

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

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verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “The researchers said this is the first report of caffeine and acetaminophen in any shark species worldwide”

CORROBORATED

Both Fox News and other research summaries quote the researchers stating this is the first report of caffeine and acetaminophen in any shark species worldwide.

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web search NEUTRAL — Neurology recommend this combination as a "highlighted" one for self-medication of tension headache, with paracetamol/caffeine combination being a "remedy of first choice", and paracetamol a "remedy o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracetamol

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web search NEUTRAL — The researchers said this is the first report of caffeine and acetaminophen in any shark species worldwide, and the first report of diclofenac and cocaine in sharks from The Bahamas. They described th…
https://www.jpost.com/science/article-892367

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web search NEUTRAL — "To the best of 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…
https://www.foxnews.com/travel/sharks-bahamas-found-have-coc…

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Claim 2: “Most samples came from waters near tourist areas, including sites near Eleuthera.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly state that most samples came from waters near tourist areas, including sites near Eleuthera.

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web search NEUTRAL — May 19, 2014 · The meaning of MAJORITY is a number or percentage equaling more than half of a total. How to use majority in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/majority

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web search NEUTRAL — The word majority means "more than half"; and when the term majority vote is used without qualification—as in the case of the basic requirement—it means more than half of the votes cast by persons ent…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majority

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web search NEUTRAL — Get banked in the U.S. with your passport or any valid ID from your home country. Plus, enjoy savings on money transfers, top-ups, and international calls. The MAJORITY app facilitates banking service…
https://majority.com/en

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Claim 3: “In 2024, more than 10 sharks in waters off Brazil tested positive for cocaine.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries about Brazil, its flag, and Jiu-Jitsu. No evidence was found regarding sharks in Brazil testing positive for cocaine in 2024.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is also the world's fifth-largest country by area and the seventh-largest by population, with over 213…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brazilian jiu-jitsu (Portuguese: jiu-jitsu brasileiro [ʒiw ˈʒitsu bɾaziˈlejɾu, ʒu -]), often abbreviated to BJJ, is a self-defense system, martial art, and combat sport based on grappling, ground figh…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_jiu-jitsu

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The national flag of Brazil is a blue disc depicting a starry sky (which includes the Southern Cross) spanned by a curved band inscribed with the national motto Ordem e Progresso (Brazilian Portuguese…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Brazil

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Claim 4: “Investigators reported altered triglyceride, urea, and lactate levels in sharks with detected contaminants compared to those without.”

CORROBORATED

Two separate web search results explicitly mention the altered levels of triglycerides, urea, and lactate in contaminated sharks.

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web search NEUTRAL — A new study is revealing that sharks in the Bahamas have tested positive for cocaine, caffeine and other substances.The study also showed that sharks that had CEC’s “showed altered triglycerides, urea…
https://www.aol.com/articles/cocaine-caffeine-detected-shark…

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web search NEUTRAL — found to have much higher levels of the endocrine-disrupting chemicals PFAS.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19440049.2023.2…

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web search NEUTRAL — Sharks in The Bahamas tested positive for multiple contaminants linked to human activity, according to NBC News.Investigators reported altered triglyceride, urea, and lactate levels in sharks with det…
https://www.jpost.com/science/article-892367

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Claim 5: “caffeine as the most prevalent detection”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (ARTVOICE and others) confirm caffeine was the most prevalent/common substance detected, appearing in 27 out of 85 sharks.

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web search NEUTRAL — Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant of the methylxanthine class and is the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance globally. It is mainly used for its eugeroic, ergogenic, or nootropi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine

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web search NEUTRAL — Caffeine was the most commonly detected substance across the entire sample. It turned up in 12 of the Caribbean reef sharks tested, all five of the contaminated Atlantic nurse sharks, and ten of the l…
https://artvoice.com/2026/03/28/bahamas-sharks-just-tested-p…

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web search NEUTRAL — Caffeine was the most common substance, found in 27 out of 85 sharks tested. Cocaine was detected in two sharks, while diclofenac and paracetamol were also found in several samples.
https://www.dagens.com/news/sharks-high-on-caffeine-and-coca…

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Claim 6: “The research, titled “Drugs in Paradise: Caffeine and Cocaine Detected in Bahamas Sharks,” analyzed five different types of sharks.”

CORROBORATED

The title 'Drugs in Paradise: Caffeine and Cocaine Detected in Bahamas Sharks' and the analysis of five shark species are confirmed by multiple independent reports.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy in tablet form, and molly in crystal form, is an entactogen with stimulant and minor psychedelic properties. MDMA was first synthes…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDMA

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Antonio Escohotado Espinosa (5 July 1941 – 21 November 2021), commonly called Antonio Escohotado, was a Spanish philosopher, jurist, essayist and university professor. His life's work primarily focuse…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Escohotado

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web search NEUTRAL — The research, titled “Drugs in Paradise: Caffeine and Cocaine Detected in Bahamas Sharks,” analyzed five different types of sharks. Most samples came from waters near tourist areas, including sites ne…
https://www.jpost.com/science/article-892367

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “the first report of diclofenac and cocaine in sharks from The Bahamas.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including Fox News and The Independent, confirm this is the first report of diclofenac and cocaine in sharks from the Bahamas.

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web search NEUTRAL — Enter sharks who are testing positive for illicit drugs in the Caribbean.The study, which was published in Environmental Pollution, marked the first time that cocaine and diclofenac had been detected …
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/sharks-coc…

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Claim 8: “Sharks in The Bahamas tested positive for multiple contaminants linked to human activity, according to NBC News.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (Dexerto, and other news summaries) confirm that sharks in the Bahamas tested positive for human-linked contaminants like cocaine and caffeine.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Bimini is the westernmost district of the Bahamas and comprises a chain of islands located about 80 kilometres (50 mi) due east of Miami. Bimini is the closest point in the Bahamas to the mainland Un…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bimini

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cristina Zenato is an Italian-born shark diver and conservationist. She is known for her work with Caribbean reef sharks in The Bahamas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristina_Zenato

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) is an elasmobranch fish in the family Ginglymostomatidae. The conservation status of the nurse shark is globally assessed as vulnerable in the IUCN List of Thr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nurse_shark

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “The study, published in the journal Environmental Pollution, documented cocaine, caffeine, and painkillers acetaminophen, and diclofenac in tissue samples from 85 sharks.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the study was published in 'Environmental Pollution' and identified cocaine, caffeine, acetaminophen, and diclofenac in samples from 85 sharks.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — There are multiple environmental issues in India. Air pollution, water pollution, garbage, domestically prohibited goods and pollution of the natural environment are all challenges for India. Nature i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_issues_in_India

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following list of countries by air pollution sorts the countries of the world according to their average measured concentration of particulate matter (PM2.5) in micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3).…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_air_pollu…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Noise pollution, is the propagation of noise or sound with potential harmful effects on humans and animals. The main sources of outdoor noise worldwide are machines, transportation, and propagation sy…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise_pollution

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.