Fentanyl Found in Blubber of Mississippi Sound Dolphins, A Troubling Signal

Recent articles in The Hill, U.S. News & World Report, ABC News, Nola.com, The New York Post, Newsweek, the Sun Herald and more (all linked below) reported on a recent study from Texas A&M University that included an alarming finding: fentanyl and other drugs have been found in bottlenose dolphins in the Mississippi Sound and other parts of the Gulf of Mexico.

According to the ABC News article about the study, a team from Texas A & M in Corpus Christi was studying hormones in tissue from a dead dolphin that another Texas A & M team had found and stored in 2020. The team was shocked to find traces of several drugs, and fentanyl was the most prevalent. This led to further study of both live and preserved samples from several locations in the Gulf of Mexico, including the Mississippi Sound.

When asked about the study, Moby Solangi, Chair of the Science Committee for the Mississippi Sound Coalition and President and Executive Director of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, Mississippi, said, “This is a troubling finding but not surprising. The blubber of marine mammals, as with humans and other mammals, is like a black box. What’s stored in the fat tells us a story.”

He added, “The fentanyl and other drugs along with many other pollutants, including insecticides, pesticides, agricultural and industrial waste, sewage, heavy metals and even microplastics that we’ve found in our studies, are part of our ecosystem coming through our waterways and river systems into these dolphins.”

“While the levels reported are relatively low, the mere fact that they are there is a troubling sign –– a barometer for their environment. Many of these contaminants can be traced to water from 31 states that finds its way into the Mississippi Sound through the Mississippi River. These dolphins are the apex predators of the Gulf sending us a message we shouldn’t ignore,” added Solangi.

“Dolphins in the Gulf have fentanyl under their skin. What does it mean for humans?” was the headline for the Nola.com article about the study linked below. That article reports that that “Twelve of the 89 dolphins were from the Mississippi Sound, but they made up 40% of the drug detections.”

In the Nola.com article, study author Anya Ocampos, who conducted the research as a Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi undergraduate and is now pursuing a doctorate in veterinary medicine, said “We should not really see any human pharmaceuticals present in dolphins and in our waters,” she added, “Having a drug as potent as fentanyl really was concerning, and we have virtually no idea how chronic exposure to these drugs affects our marine mammals.”

Solangi added that the Gulf of Mexico has become a dump of sorts. “It’s not a secret that there are large hypoxic zones that have been caused by runoff from rivers, primarily the Mississippi River. These new findings are warning signs. It’s high time we start thinking about and making the proper decisions that will lead to doing something about it.”

Link to the study:
Pharmaceuticals in the blubber of live free-swimming common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004224027342?via%3Dihub

News Coverage:
The Hill: Fentanyl found inside dolphins in Gulf of Mexico
https://thehill.com/homenews/5038108-fentanyl-found-inside-dolphins/

ABC News: Several drugs, including fentanyl, found in bottlenose dolphins in Gulf of Mexico, scientists say
https://abcnews.go.com/International/drugs-including-fentanyl-found-bottleneck-dolphins-gulf-mexico/story?id=116523978

The New York Post: Fentanyl found inside dolphins in Gulf of Mexico: ‘We think this is a longstanding problem’
https://nypost.com/2024/12/06/us-news/fentanyl-found-inside-dolphins-in-gulf-of-mexico/

Nola.com: Dolphins in the Gulf have fentanyl under their skin. What does it mean for humans?
https://www.nola.com/news/environment/dolphins-gulf-fentanyl-louisiana/article_7e9f8e1e-b7f5-11ef-86a8-33de0091f69d.html

The Sun Herald: Mississippi Sound dolphins testing positive for fentanyl. What does it mean for humans?
https://www.sunherald.com/news/health/article297005604.html

Newsweek: Fentanyl Detected in Gulf of Mexico Dolphins
https://www.newsweek.com/bottlenose-dolphins-fentanyl-opioids-pharmaceuticals-marine-life-1997714

U.S. News & World Report: Dolphins in the Gulf have fentanyl under their skin. What does it mean for humans?
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2024-12-09/dolphins-are-testing-positive-for-fentanyl