Rebecca Manzi Researchers analyzed fat samples from Gulf of Mexico dolphins and found a massive presence of human drugs, including the opioid fentanyl.
A new study by Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, working with NOAA, has discovered human pharmaceuticals, including the potent opioid fentanyl, in the blubber of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Gulf of Mexico.
Analyzing the dolphins’ blubber
Researchers analyzed blubber samples from 83 live dolphins and 6 deceased individuals, revealing contamination by drugs such as sedatives, muscle relaxants, and fentanyl in particular. This substance, notorious for its devastating effects on humans, was found in 18 live dolphins and all six deceased ones.
Dolphins as marine ecosystem sentinels
Bottlenose dolphins are considered key bioindicators of marine ecosystem health. Their lipid-rich blubber accumulates contaminants, making them invaluable for monitoring environmental quality.
Drugs can enter human food chains via fish and shellfish
The study found higher levels of pharmaceutical contamination in dolphins from high-risk areas, which included Redfish Bay, Laguna Madre, and Mississippi Sound. Notably, dolphins from the Mississippi Sound accounted for 40% of the total detections, showing that this has been a long-standing issue.
Fentanyl is an opioid that is 100 times more powerful than morphine and easily binds to fat, building up over time. The presence of fentanyl in dolphins could be due to wastewater, industrial discharges, or even drug trafficking activities. Indeed, a record seizure of liquid fentanyl was made off one of the study sites. Other pharmaceuticals detected included lipophobic drugs, which are less soluble in fat, making their presence in blubber even more remarkable and indicative of widespread contamination.
Alarming findings and future research
Makayla Guinn, one of the researchers, termed findings “alarming“, in light of the need to continue investigating the long-range effects of these substances on marine mammals. Dara Orbach pointed out that chronic exposure of these drugs is not exclusively a threat to dolphins alone but also to human health, as such substances move into food chains via fish and shellfish.
The research serves to emphasize that the immediate concern of the monitoring is particularly regarded with emerging contaminants in the marine ecosystem of high-interest human activities in order for it to depict the overall coverage and to proffer plans aimed at curbing or restricting pharmaceutical contamination’s impact in such water environments.
