Former U.S. bases tested for waste

Former U.S. bases tested for waste

MANILA (Reuter): Former U.S. air and naval bases in the Philippines will be tested for toxic waste, a senior Philippine government official said yesterday.

"We're scheduled to conduct testing in July and September," Health Secretary Jaime Galvez Tan said.

Tan said water-sampling will be conducted at 14 sites inside the Clark economic zone and 20 sites inside the Subic Free port area.

Clark is the former site of a U.S. air base, while Subic was a naval base. The two facilities were converted into economic development zones after the U.S. left the country in 1991.

Tan said the health department has asked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, to help conduct the tests.

Environmental groups have accused the Americans of leaving behind toxic waste dumps when they closed the bases, and say the U.S. should foot the bill for any clean-up.