Microbes Munch Oil, Have Not Robbed Gulf Of Oxygen

A new federal report says microbes that are gobbling up oil from the BP spill have caused no problems with oxygen loss in the Gulf of Mexico.

Federal officials say some underwater oxygen levels have fallen by 20 percent, but the levels are not low enough to create 'dead zones.' They say that is good news because it shows the microbes are working but are not causing oxygen loss.

Steve Murawski, the scientist who headed the federal research team, said that means efforts to control the oil with dispersants hit the "sweet spot" they were aiming for.

Scientists worried that if microbes ate too much, it would deplete the oxygen in deep water and choke fish. More than 400 tests show that the oxygen levels were not dangerously low.