Actually, oil is food! Of all the really bad spills in the last 50 years (Torry Canyon, Braer, Exxon Valdez, etc.) it is documented that something less than 10% of the spills have actually been cleaned up. The rest is broken down by bugs in the sea because oil is a natural product. Refined oil (petrol, derv, etc.) is the one to watch, as it has to be all cleared up otherwise it just stays there.
This is an awful situation and one can only hope that they can stop the leak, and make the best job of preventing people's livelihoods and localities (especially the littoral waters) being polluted.
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