Gulf Oil Spill: Worst of Its Kind, Ever

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According to federal scientists, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is the largest accidental release of oil into marine waters.

The New York Times reports that almost 5 million barrels of oil have been spilled into the Gulf, beating the previous record holder, the 1979 spill by Mexican rig Ixtoc I into the Bay of Campeche, which released 3.3 million barrels of oil.

Officials said that before the well was capped on July 15, the well poured out about 53,000 barrels of oil each day. The number was higher at the beginning and tapered off with time.

Now scientists are attempting to put a permanent stop to the oil spill. Final tests will happen today, BP said, and they hope to seal the well by the end of the week. In the meantime, if you have any ideas to clean up the mess, you could win $1 million.