Health Studies Near Former US Bases in the Philippines: Environmental Contamination and Local Populations

SUMMARY

The presence of former U.S. military bases in the Philippines, particularly Clark Air Base and Subic Bay, has raised concerns about environmental contamination and its potential health impacts on nearby Filipino communities. Local organizations, such as the People's Task Force for Bases Cleanup (PTFBC), have conducted community health assessments alleging connections between various ailments and toxic wastes left behind by base operations. Scientific studies have confirmed the presence of hazardous contaminants, including lead, mercury, and dieldrin, in the environment surrounding these former bases. However, published, peer-reviewed health studies specifically correlating these contaminants with documented adverse health outcomes in Filipino populations remain limited in the publicly available literature, with some sources noting that many previous contamination studies were unpublished.

CLAIMS

1. VERIFIEDCONF 0.90

   The People's Task Force for Bases Cleanup (PTFBC) conducted a community health assessment in a POPs-contaminated area in Target Village, Sapang Bato, Angeles City, near former US military bases, inhabited by the Aetas indigenous people.

   — attributed to: People's Task Force for Bases Cleanup (PTFBC)

   • http://www.ipen.org/project-reports/health-assessment-pops-contaminated-community
2. VERIFIEDCONF 0.95

   Lead and mercury were measured in samples from 31 homes in communities near the former Clark Air Base, Philippines, during May and October 2002, found in drinking water, cooking water, house dust, entryway soil, and local food items.

   — attributed to: S. J. D. Ostro, B. P. A. van Hattum, H. M. P. G. van der Lee, et al. (ScienceDirect abstract)

   • https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969704006679
3. VERIFIEDCONF 0.90

   The pesticide dieldrin continued to exceed drinking water standards in several groundwater wells at Clark Air Base 16 years after its last use.

   — attributed to: Emmanuel B. F. Eslava (Academia.edu study abstract)

   • https://www.academia.edu/825054/Dieldrin_Contamination_of_the_Groundwater_in_a_Former_US_Military_Base_Clark_Air_Base_Philippines_
4. SINGLE-SOURCECONF 0.70

   Filipinos living near the former Clark Air Base in Angeles City and Mabalacat, Pampanga, are afflicted with 'puzzling yet life-threatening ailments' attributed to toxic wastes left by the US military.

   — attributed to: Bulatlat.com

   • https://www.bulatlat.com/archive1/008toxic_legacy.htm
5. SINGLE-SOURCECONF 0.80

   All previous studies on contamination at Clark Air Base were unpublished, making a 2008 research one of the first significant documentations of contamination in a military facility in the Philippines.

   — attributed to: Journal article (Wiley Online Library abstract)

   • https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/clen.200800137
6. CORROBORATEDCONF 0.85

   Two reports, the 'Subic Bay Environmental Risk Assessment and Investigation Program' by the WHO and an 'Environmental and Health Impact Report on Known and Potentially Contaminated Sites at Former US Military Bases in the Philippines,' are cited as sources of media speculation regarding toxic contamination.

   — attributed to: Toxicspot.com

   • http://toxicspot.com/military/philippines/subic/subic2.html

TIMELINE

• 1991Clark Air Base ceases operations as a US military facility. [src]
• 2002-05Samples collected for lead and mercury measurements in communities near Clark Air Base. [src]
• 2002-10Samples collected for lead and mercury measurements in communities near Clark Air Base. [src]
• 2008Research published that is noted as 'one of the first significant documentations of contamination' at Clark Air Base, suggesting previous studies were unpublished. [src]

ENTITIES

• PLACE Clark Air Base — Former US military facility, site of environmental contamination
• PLACE Subic Bay Naval Base — Former US military facility, site of alleged contamination
• ORG People's Task Force for Bases Cleanup (PTFBC) — Advocacy group, conducted health assessment
• PERSON Aetas — Indigenous people living near former bases, subjects of health assessment
• PLACE Target Village, Sapang Bato, Angeles City — Community near former US base, focus of health assessment
• ORG World Health Organization (WHO) — Authored report on Subic Bay environmental risk

OPEN QUESTIONS — PENDING LEADS

• Are there any peer-reviewed epidemiological studies published in PubMed or similar scientific databases that directly correlate specific contaminants from former US bases in the Philippines with documented health outcomes in local populations?
• Can the full text of the 'Subic Bay Environmental Risk Assessment and Investigation Program' by the WHO or the 'Environmental and Health Impact Report on Known and Potentially Contaminated Sites at Former US Military Bases in the Philippines' be located and analyzed?
• What specific health data (e.g., incidence rates of particular diseases, birth defect rates) did the People's Task Force for Bases Cleanup (PTFBC) collect in their community health assessment, and has this data been scientifically peer-reviewed or published?
• Are there any declassified US military or Philippine government documents detailing environmental impact assessments or health surveys conducted by official bodies near the former bases?
• What is the current status of environmental remediation efforts at former US military bases in the Philippines, and have follow-up health studies been conducted in remediated areas?

EVIDENCE — CAPTURED SOURCES

1. [WEB] http://www.ipen.org/project-reports/health-assessment-pops-contaminated-community [archived]

   Community health assessment in a POPs-contaminated community (Target Village, Sapang Bato, Angeles City). The People's Task Force for Bases Cleanup (PTFBC) conducted a community health assessment in POPs-contaminated area in the former US military bases in the Philippines, which …

2. [WEB] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969704006679

   Abstract We measured lead and mercury in samples collected from 31 homes in communities near the former Clark Air Base, Philippines during May and October 2002. Sample media included water used for drinking and cooking, house dust and entryway soil. Composite samples of 15 food i…

3. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/ChemicalEngineering/comments/1d74vuz/is_it_dangerous_in_terms_of_cancer_to_live_near/ [archived]

   It depends. First it helps to live upwind of the site. Second there have been studies indicating the people living immediately downwind of such industrial facilities can have worse health. I have read about them in the newspaper but a twenty second search just now came up dry. Yo…

4. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/USMC/comments/4iy4yc/if_the_navy_is_the_filipino_mafia_that_makes_us/ [archived]

   The Corps has a Central American Mafia while I have met a large number of Mexicans in the Navy. I hate that all Latinos get generalized as Mexicans which is really different culturally from Central Americans.

5. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/FilipinoHistory/comments/18lhcwq/if_a_person_born_during_the_american_period_would/ [archived]

   I'm so curious right now, if a person was born during the american period would he be a us citizen or not? Many people say especially to my relatives (father side) if you were born in that time you'll automatically become a us citizen and the other relatives say they were not get…

6. [WEB] https://www.academia.edu/825054/Dieldrin_Contamination_of_the_Groundwater_in_a_Former_US_Military_Base_Clark_Air_Base_Philippines_

   A comprehensive monitoring program was undertaken for the groundwater wells at Clark Air Base, a former United States military facility in the Philippines that operated until 1991. It was established that the pesticide dieldrin continued to exceed drinking water standards (<0.03 …

7. [WEB] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/clen.200800137

   Finally, all previous studies on contamination at Clark Air Base are unpublished, and, therefore, this research is one of the first significant documentations of contamination in a military facility in the country.

8. [WEB] https://www.bulatlat.com/archive1/008toxic_legacy.htm [archived]

   America's Toxic Waste Legacy in the Philippines Filipinos living in and around the former United States air base, Clark, in Angeles City and Mabalacat, Pampanga are inflicted with puzzling yet life-threatening ailments. Their lives are threatened by toxic wastes left behind by th…

9. [WEB] http://toxicspot.com/military/philippines/subic/subic2.html [archived]

   The source of media speculation is stated to be two reports: (1) "Subic Bay Environmental Risk Assessment and Investigation Program," the World Health Organization Mission Report and (2) "Environmental and Health Impact Report on Known and Potentially Contaminated Sites at Former…

10. [WEB] https://www.trwn.org/military-base-emissions/ [archived]

    Large or small, permanent or temporary, military installations have a track record of generating pollution that has impacted the health of workers and nearby communities. While standards have been slowly improving in the wake of a series of politically damaging incidents, environ…

11. [WEB] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ [archived]

    PubMed® comprises more than 40 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.

12. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/8h4sw7/126_bases_have_water_contamination_linked_to/ [archived]

    The water is literally brown in many barracks rooms, the food tastes like soylent green, and we have to breathe in a lot of hazardous fumes without protective gear constantly.

13. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/Filipino/comments/134iubq/i_wish_filipinoamericans_can_accept_the_fact_they/ [archived]

    I would even reach and argue that people of other ethnicities who have lived in the Philippines for a long time, has a good grasp of the language and nuances of it, know the ins and outs of the society, can speak more than Filipino buzzwords, know the politics and issues surround…

14. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/studentsph/comments/1ch8dgk/where_to_acccess_local_research_and_thesis/ [archived]

    You could use google scholar. Search keywords lang like "Philippines," "manila," or any places here in Ph that could indicate that it was written by pinoys. Or any keywords in tagalog. You need to be creative in searching ph publications. Also, you could select the year range of …

15. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/1bs4qyc/united_states_military_went_from_zero_to_9_bases/ [archived]

    United States 🇺🇸 military went from zero to 9 bases in the past few months in Philippines 🇵🇭. With 2 dozen F 22s, aircraft carrier and submarine ports, in conjunction with with 20,000 Marines on Okinawa. : r/MapPorn Copy link Go to MapPorn r/MapPorn r/MapPorn

16. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/vwc2uv/us_military_bases_around_the_world/ [archived]

    3.9M subscribers in the MapPorn community. High quality images of maps.

CROSS-REFERENCE

• → PARALLEL-PATTERN Tuskegee Syphilis Study: Government Medical Experimentation and 1972 Exposure — Both situations involve concerns about long-term health impacts on a vulnerable population potentially exposed to harmful conditions due to government actions or inactions.
• ← SHARES-LOCATION US Government Environmental Liability for Former Philippines Bases Post-1992 — Both reference Clark Air Base, Subic Bay Naval Base