"Crude oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon spill contains a chemical that interferes with fish heart cells, slowing heart rates, reducing the ability of the heart to contract and causing irregular heartbeats that can lead to heart attacks or death, according to new research released Thursday by researchers at Stanford University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration."

"The scientific paper, which will be published in the Feb. 14 edition of the journal Science, was discussed by several of the researchers at a news conference at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Chicago.

The research was conducted as part of the federal Natural Resource Damage Assessment process required by the Oil Pollution Act in the aftermath of the spill. Its findings will help federal and state officials, working with BP, to determine the extent of damages to natural resources from the spill and how those damages should be mitigated."

Mark Schleifstein reports for the New Orleans Times-Picayune February 13, 2014. [2]