Deepwater Horizon oil spill 17 of whom were treated for injuries. The Deepwater Horizon sank on the morning of 22 April 2010. The oil leak was discovered on the afternoon of 22 April 2010 when a large oil slick began to spread at the former rig site. The oil flowed for 87 days. BP originally estimated a flow rate of . The Flow Rate Technical Group (FRTG) estimated the initial flow rate was . The total estimated volume of leaked oil approximated with plus or minus 10% uncertainty, including oil that was collected, making it the world's largest accidental spill. BP challenged the higher
Deepwater Horizon oil spill more than wide and deep. In a major study on the plume, experts were most concerned about the slow pace at which the oil was breaking down in the cold, water at depths of . In late 2012, a study from Georgia Tech and Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes in Environmental Pollution journal reported that Corexit used during the BP oil spill had increased the toxicity of the oil by 52 times. The scientists concluded that "Mixing oil with dispersant increased toxicity to ecosystems" and made the gulf oil spill worse." The three basic approaches for removing the oil from the