PHILIPPINE authorities have lifted a ban on six brands of South Korean noodles after government tests disproved earlier reports that they had unsafe amounts of a cancer-causing chemical, health authorities said.

The Food and Drug Administration said that health department tests found the noodles made by Nongshim Co. had safe amounts of the "benzopyrene" chemical, contrary to what had previously been alleged in some press reports.

"The test results have been reassuring as all benzopyrenes have been found below the limits . . . set for the recall advisory," the agency said in a statement posted on its website on Monday.

The Philippines had ordered the recall on October 31, drawing a formal complaint from the South Korean embassy that insisted that the noodles are safe to eat.

The embassy urged the Philippines to lift the noodle ban.

Benzopyrene is used in food dyes, and can upset stomachs according to scientists.

"Korean officials have offered assurance that the subsequent products of the affected brands are safe," the Philippine statement added.