Dolphins In The Gulf of Mexico Are Now Testing Positive For Fentanyl

It's not just humans in Texas or throughout the United States that have been impacted by the fentanyl crisis plaguing our nation. Now it seems as though marine life in the Gulf of Mexico has been impacted.

According to a recent report from Chron.com, researchers at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi have analyzed samples from three sites around the gulf of Mexico. Those samples showed pharmaceuticals, including fentanyl in the blubber of more than two dozen bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico.

While it is not clear how fentanyl got into the systems of the dolphins, researchers did point to research showing that pharmaceuticals have been found in other emerging areas. According to Chron.com, out of 89 dolphin blubber samples, fentanyl was found in 18 live dolphins and 6 dolphins that had died.

Out of 89 dolphin blubber samples—including 83 collected from live dolphins and six from deceased dolphins—pharmaceuticals were found in 30 of the dolphins. Fentanyl, an opioid analgesic for severe pain that is 100 times more potent than morphine, was present in 18 live dolphins and each of the deceased dolphins. Samples taken from dolphins in areas with threats like oil spills, vessel traffic, and algal blooms showed higher levels of pharmaceuticals.

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, bottlenose dolphins are the most common dolphin seen on the Texas coast.