Works Minister Dennis Lister deserves a great deal of credit for his response to allegations from a former Kindley Air Force Base worker who claims that he buried and burned Vietnam War-era defoliant Agent Orange and other chemicals at the Base in the 1960s.

Mr. Lister's rapid decision to fully investigate the claims and make the findings public is an example of how Government should work in an open and democratic society and, in this instance, he is an example to all.

Ronald Slater's claims are serious, and it is to be hoped that they turn out not to be true. It would be easier to predict that that will turn out be the case if the US military did not have a poor environmental record at its base, both in the 50 states and around the world as well as in Bermuda, where debate continues over how to clean the US Naval Annex in particular.

What is needed now is a full investigation of any and all pollutants at the former Bases. The best outcome would be for the areas to be given clean bills of health so that the public would get the reassurance it needs. At worst, Bermuda would know what it was dealing with and could prepare a full clean-up plan that would ensure that the environment and individuals' health is not put at risk.