Plants and wildlife living around Holloman Lake near White Sands National Park contain some of the highest levels of toxic PFAS contamination recorded in the world, according to findings released Monday by New Mexico environmental officials.

The record-breaking levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (shortened to PFAS) were recorded in samples of plants and studies of dead animal carcasses. This class of chemicals, nicknamed “forever chemicals,” bioaccumulate, meaning they can move through the food chain.

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Experts said they believe the leading cause of the contamination comes from neighboring Holloman U.S. Air Force Base, which used firefighting foam containing PFAS from the 1970s until 2019.

“I think we’re convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Holloman Air Force base loading for decades into the groundwater and the surface water there caused the PFAS levels we’re seeing,” New Mexico Environment Department Secretary James Kenney told Source NM.

New Mexico is embroiled in two lawsuits with the U.S. military over PFAS contamination on multiple air force bases and how to address clean up.

Monday’s findings also prompted a health advisory from New Mexico Department of Health, requesting that any hunters who ate waterfowl between 2010 and 2024 from Lake Holloman speak to their doctor.

“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,” DOH Medical Director Dr. Miranda Durham 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.”

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While a lot of research is still being done on the dangers of the class of manmade chemicals, PFAS exposureis linked to kidney and reproductive cancers, decreased fertility, fetal developmental delays, disruption of immune responses and liver functions in people.

NMDOH said further study was required of waterfowl and oryx populations to determine how widespread the risk to hunters is outside the immediate Lake Holloman area.

Lake Holloman is a man-made chain of wetlands outside of Holloman Air Force Base, which receives treated wastewater from the base, along with campsites and nature trails. Since 2019, health officials have warnedthat people should not drink or swim in the lake because of the high level of PFAS. Holloman Lake is not used for drinking water.

State officials have documented PFAS levels to be as high as 1,600 times the drinking water standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Samples from a Merriam’s kangaroo rat had PFAS levels of 120,000 nanograms per gram, the highest level recorded in a wild animal worldwide, and a salt cedar sample had 30,000 nanograms per gram, which officials said was the highest recorded in a plant.

Read the full 613-page report below.

Holloman-Lake-PFAS-Ecology-Report_1-08-2025-1

Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Goldberg for questions: info@sourcenm.com.