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Study: BP Spill Did Wide Damage To Sea-Floor Life

A Texas A&M researcher says the BP oil spill did at least moderate damage to the tiny animals that live on the sea floor for about 57 square miles around the well that blew out and led to millions of gallons of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A Texas A&M researcher says the BP oil spill did at least moderate damage to the tiny animals that live on the sea floor for about 57 square miles around the well that blew out and led to millions of gallons of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

Paul Montagna (mon-TAN-yuh) says it could be a generation or more before the creatures recover.

The study was published Tuesday in the online journal PLOS One.

Louisiana State University researcher Paul Carney said Wednesday that it's the first large-scale look at the largest habitat in deep water.

The study is part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment that will help decide what damages BP must pay.

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