they have done over the last ten days has shown them for the first time they are getting toxicity levels that show microscopic marine life in the gulf waters have been infected and ingested by the oil in the gulf mexico. this is the weather bird 2. research vessel used by the university of south florida for the last ten days. investigating the oil spill. some 13 scientists have been onboard and they are just now coming home to st. petersburg. what s in the containers? water in here collected from 50. reporter: david hollander was one of the lead researchers on the mission. did you feel like you are on the verge of really getting a better understanding of what s going on underneath the water? i think we are adding to the puzzle. we are adding to the pieces of the puzzle. where we found this. reporter: hollander and another expert on the journey, john paul, sat down with cnn for an exclusive review of their findings. the scientists say they found toxic levels of oil and dispers
it s certainly unnerving but with this type of weather you re almost prepared for something like that. reporter: we ve seen reports that each commercial aircraft is hit by lightning on the average of once per year, but the last thyme a commercial aircraft was brought down over the u.s. by a lightning strike, that was nearly 50 years ago. brian todd, cnn, washington. we ve got breaking news for you right now. 16 years after the notorious susan smith case, authorities in south carolina are dealing with another investigation we re told with similar circumstances involving kids found dead in a submerged car. apparently the children s mother is now facing charges along with serious doubts of her account of what exactly happened. we re going to take you live to a news conference from the sheriff of orangeburg county,
problem, water borne disease. we need clean wells and truck out fresh water to people. we obviously need money. the general aid community needs more funding and that s the best thing. for instance, go to our website and donate. that s what we need. you say it may take decades to help return some order and semblance of normalcy to the country. such a tragedy. peter biro with the irc, thanks this morning and good luck. to get more information on how to help provide relief for the flood victims in pakistan help avoid some of the concerns about widespread disease, visit cnn s website, impact your world, cnn.com/impact. 47 minutes past the hour. [breaking sounds] don t buy the lawnmower. or even get the weed whacker. without blueprint from chase. create a plan to pay off purchases and you can save money on interest.
those guys are in trouble, then the ocean s in trouble. reporter: so far, federal government scientists have downplayed the impact of microscopic oil making its way up the food chain. this is what the head of the national oceanic and atmospheric administration said earlier this month. fish will degrade that oil and process it naturally. and so it doesn t bioaccumulate so it s not a situation where we need to be concerned about that. over time it will be broken down. reporter: usf scientists tell cnn that s a short-sided view of the danger. noaa officials haven t responded to these latest scientific findings. the ten-day mission in the gulf of mexico was a rocky voyage. scientists were battered with 12-foot seas and strong storms taking them within 25 miles of the deepwater horizon spill site. all along the way they found microscopic droplets of oil all along the ocean floor.
droplets along with dispersants bp pumped into the water. toxic to marine life. a story you won t see anywhere else this morning, a cnn exclusive coming up. wedding vows on hold again. an appeals court ruling same-sex marriages will not take place in california. both sides are ready to continue their fight this morning. one woman who had surgery to save her vision, then getting quite a shock when we look at her $13,000 medical bill. even more surprised when she heard the explanation behind it. our series medical waste ahead. . first breaking news overnight from iraq. a suicide bomber strikes outside a crowded army recruiting center in baghdad. at least 48 people were killed, more than 100 others were wounded. police say hundreds of iraqi men were signing up for military service when that bomb went off. recruitment centers have been targeted in recent months as u.s. combat forces prepare to leave iraq by the end of the month.