2 claim verifications about sharks sharks ×
“Sharks in the Bahamas have tested positive for cocaine and caffeine absorbed from contaminated ocean water.”
A peer-reviewed study did detect trace amounts of cocaine and caffeine in shark blood near Eleuthera, Bahamas — but the claim significantly overstates the findings. Cocaine was found in only 1 of 85 sharks, at nanogram-level concentrations far below any biologically meaningful threshold. Caffeine was more widespread (~24 of 85 sharks). The claim's assertion that these substances were "absorbed from contaminated ocean water" reflects a plausible hypothesis, not a confirmed pathway. The plural framing and "tested positive" language create a misleading impression of widespread drug contamination.
“More people are killed annually by vending machines than by sharks worldwide.”
This popular claim lacks reliable support. Shark fatalities are well-documented at roughly 6–12 deaths per year worldwide. However, there is no credible, current global dataset for vending machine deaths—estimates range wildly from zero (since 2008) to 2–3 per year to an unverified "13 annually," mostly drawn from outdated U.S.-only data from the 1978–1995 era. The best available evidence suggests sharks now kill as many or more people annually worldwide than vending machines do, making this claim misleading.