30-01-2025
Hunters who have eaten game from Holloman Lake warned after record-high PFAS levels found
The New Mexico Department of Health issued an advisory Monday warning any hunters who ate or captured wildlife from Holloman Lake in the past decade about the possibility of contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
The advisory came after the state Environment Department released a report earlier this month that found that some samples of plants and animals near Holloman Lake, located near White Sands National Park and Holloman Air Force Base, contained what may be the highest recorded levels of plant or animal contamination from the "forever chemicals" in the world.
'The levels of PFAS contamination in Holloman Lake are deeply concerning, particularly for hunters who may have consumed waterfowl from the area over the past decade,' Miranda Durham, the health department's medical director, said in a statement. 'PFAS exposure has been linked to serious health problems, and we encourage anyone who has consumed game from this region and has concerns to talk to their healthcare provider.'
A sample from the liver of a Merriam's kangaroo rat clocked PFAS concentrations at 120,000 nanograms per gram; a salt cedar sample was at 30,000 nanograms per gram. Both are thought to be record-breaking concentrations in wildlife and plants, respectively.
Other samples of local plants and animals ranged from 10,000 nanograms per gram to 120,000 nanograms per gram.
But what could that mean for living things around the lake?
PFAS report
The study found symptoms that could be related to PFAS contamination in nearby wildlife, including high rates of ulcers and abnormal growths in some small mammals and a failure to hatch.
Even a gram of duck meat — less than a bite size — from Holloman Lake included more PFAS than is recommended for a lifetime exposure to the chemical group for humans, according to a February 2024 University of New Mexico report.
The land was acquired by Holloman Air Force Base in 1996 as a wastewater evaporation pond, wrote spokesperson Denise Ottaviano in an email to The New Mexican. The Defense Authorization Act of 1996 required that the area remain open to the public, although recreation in the water is prohibited.
Hunting has been off-limits at the lake since 2019. That decision was made "out of an abundance of caution" and due to the presence of contaminants at the lake, Ottaviano wrote.
The Air Force is currently going through the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability process to investigate contamination from firefighting foam that "may be associated with Holloman AFB mission activities," Ottaviano wrote.
In 2022, the Air Force entered the remedial investigation phase, which will include an assessment of risks to human health and the local ecology.
"The DAF has expended $2.9 million on the PFAS investigation at Holloman AFB to date and will continue to advance the remedial investigation ..." Ottaviano wrote. "Once RI is complete, and if unacceptable risks are identified in the RI
PFAS are a group of chemicals known for their aversion to breaking down in the environment. Used for everything from nonstick pans and weatherproofing materials to firefighting foam, the chemicals have been linked to an array of health conditions including increased risk of kidney and testicular cancer, increased cholesterol and reduced birth weight.
Chelsea Langer, acting bureau chief for the health department's Environmental Health Epidemiology Bureau, said she hasn't seen a direct study looking at how eating PFAS-contaminated meat may affect the human body.
But she said people who are concerned should speak with their doctor or potentially get a blood test to measure the levels of PFAS in their blood. The PFAS found around Holloman are long-chain PFAS, which are more persistent in the environment and take longer to degrade, Langer said. They have some of those same qualities in the human body, increasing the health risks.
There's currently no approved treatment to remove PFAS from the human body. But knowing risk factors can help people monitor for diseases associated with exposure to the chemical.
"If you get a blood test and your results are low, then I would find that reassuring. ... Most everybody has some small level of PFAS in their bodies, because they are ubiquitous," Langer said. "If there are higher levels of PFAS, then that would be an indication for you and your doctor to monitor more carefully for cholesterol or for kidney and testicular cancer ... and just hopefully catch those early."
