Jacques Cousteau's Grandson Takes 'Nightmare' Dive Into Oil Spill

(May 27) -- The Gulf oil spill's toll on the environment remains difficult to quantify at this time, but a new video of a journey into the dark heart of the spill taken by Philippe Cousteau Jr., grandson of legendary undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau, reveals a "nightmarish" scene.

Cousteau was investigating whether Corexit, the environmentally-tenuous chemical dispersant that BP has been spraying into the Atlantic since the spill began is "breaking down the oil or if the byproduct they are forming is causing more damage to see life." ABC Good Morning America reporter Sam Champion, who was along for the ride, was shocked and appalled at what he found.

"The entire water column is thick with this oil and chemical dispersant mix and it's absolutely disgusting," said Champion, "I think that this has got to be one of the most horrible things I've ever seen underwater."

The display, Cousteau said, was but "a snapshot of what's happening in the Gulf. This is a nightmare, this is nightmare."

Cousteau also told Champion that what frightened him the most was that volume of the oil spill dispersant mix was unprecedented, thus it is impossible to predict its side effects.

Nalco, the company that manufactures Corexit, today released additional technical information about the product, saying it "is a simple blend of six well-established, safe ingredients that biodegrade, do not bioaccumulate and are commonly found in popular household products," according to Marketwatch.

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