A new strain of bacteria has been found that could help clean up some of the nastiest pollutants in the massive Gulf oil spill. The bacterium can produce non-toxic, comparatively cheap 'rhamnolipids', which help degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollutants that are one of the most harmful aspects of oil spills.Oregon State University is filing for a patent on the discovery."PAHs are a widespread group of toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic compounds, but also one of the biggest concerns about oil spills," said Xihou Yin, a research assistant professor in the OSU College of Pharmacy.