The New Mexico Department of Health (“NMHealth”) released a Health Advisory on January 27, 2025 regarding record levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) found in the water of Lake Holloman located near Holloman AFB in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Here is the Health Advisory:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2025
Health advisory issued for Holloman Lake
Report finds record-high PFAS levels in wildlife and plants
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) has issued a health advisory to hunters or anyone who consumed or captured wildlife from Holloman Lake between 2010 and 2024. This follows a new environmental report revealing record-breaking levels of contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) concentrations in plants and wildlife.
According to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) report released Monday, samples show the highest PFAS levels ever recorded in any wild animal and plant worldwide.
“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,” said Dr. Miranda Durham, medical director for NMDOH. “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.”
The NMED report highlights the need for additional testing of waterfowl and oryx samples to better characterize the risk to hunters outside the immediate footprint of contamination at Holloman Lake/Holloman Air Force Base.
Potential health risks associated with exposure to PFAS include:
- Increased cholesterol levels.
- Reduced birth weight.
- Kidney and testicular cancer.
- Pregnancy-induced hypertension.
- Liver enzyme changes.
For more information about PFAS visit the New Mexico Environment Department webpage about PFAS at the following links:
- PFAS in New Mexico
- Talking to your doctor about exposure to PFAS
- PFAS Information for Clinicians
- Guidance of PFAS Exposure, Testing, and Clinical Follow up
- How to reduce your exposure to PFAS
- Report: Ecological Research on PFAS Contamination of Wildlife at Holloman Lake
Holloman Lake, located near Alamogordo, serves as the wastewater reservoir for Holloman Air Force Base. While hunting at the lake has been prohibited since 2024, it remains open for camping and birding.
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NMHealth
Robert Nott, Communications Director | robert.nott@doh.nm.gov | (505) 479-0147
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“USEPA”) has a webpage designed to explain the basic concerns about PFAS, which may be viewed HERE.
The USEPA webpage indicates that:
- PFAS are widely used, long lasting chemicals, components of which break down very slowly over time.
- Because of their widespread use and their persistence in the environment, many PFAS are found in the blood of people and animals all over the world and are present at low levels in a variety of food products and in the environment.
- PFAS are found in water, air, fish and soil at locations across the nation and the globe.
- Scientific studies have shown that exposure to some PFAS in the environment may be linked to harmful health effects in humans and animals.
- There are thousands of PFAS chemicals, and they are found in many different consumer, commercial and industrial products, which makes it challenging to study and assess the potential human health and environmental risks.
KOAT Action 7 News (Albuquerque, NM) reported on January 30, 2025 that the presence of extremely high levels of PFAS – also known as ‘forever chemicals’ because of their failure to break down easily in the environment – have been detected in Holloman Lake near Alamogordo, raising concerns for those who fish, hunt or camp in the area.
The State of New Mexico points out that Holloman Lake is not the only area grappling with these issues, as locations near U.S. Air Force installations are seeing similar contamination due to PFAS within firefighting foam used for decades in the past. The PFAS from the firefighting foams has seeped into the soil, affecting nearby water and ecosystems.
According to Chelsea Langer with the NMHealth’s Environmental Health Epidemiology Bureau, “[u]nfortunately, there is no approved treatment for PFAS” exposure.
The KOAT Action 7 News article may be read in full HERE.
My brothers and sisters, as a retired NMED enforcement manager, I can report that one of the issues with PFAS is that it has not yet been fully embraced for regulation at the federal level. NMED requests for the USEPA to place PFAS regulation under the federal Resource, Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”), where it would be formally recognized as a hazardous waste and managed accordingly, have not yet been agreed-to by the USEPA.
There are also no regulatory limits established sufficient for most enforcement actions, despite continually growing reports showing a correlation to adverse health effects from exposure to PFAS.
Like asbestos, formerly known as the ‘miracle mineral,’ sometimes products with amazing characteristics can be determined to be dangerous ‘down the road’ and the need for corrective action becomes clear. Although PFAS is great on non-stick pans and for putting out exceedingly hot-burning aircraft fuel fires, it is now being discovered to cause cancer, among other concerns – and it does not break down in the environment (similar to PCBs formerly used in pole-mounted electrical transformers).
Let’s pray for our government officials to seek the wisdom of God, to make timely decisions based on evidence (not emotion), and to take the proper actions to protect us from these hazardous substances.
Proverbs 3:13 (ESV)
Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom
“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding…”.
