A research team has found "unexpectedly high" levels of cancer-causing chemicals in birds and rodents around the artificial lake and wetlands near Holloman Air Force Base, which had discharged contaminated wastewater into that area for decades.
University of New Mexico researchers detected what they call extraordinary amounts of PFAS in 20 out of 23 bird species and in dozens of rodents that scurry around Lake Holloman, as well as ponds and wetlands, which the Air Force created as catchments for treated effluent and together form a desert oasis within the Tularosa Basin.
The team tested a mixture of ducks, songbirds and shore birds along with a blend of recently caught rodents and those whose carcasses were preserved for 30 years. The average PFAS reading both for birds and rodents was more than 10,000 parts per billion.
To put that in context, a Clovis dairy farmer had to euthanize 3,665 cows because they had 6 parts per billion of PFAS in their milk, said Christopher Witt, a UNM biology professor and lead author of the study.
"Our findings are extremely concerning for people who care about wildlife and for people who consume wildlife as hunters," Witt said.
The team's findings were published in the journal Environmental Research.
PFAS is short for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. They are dubbed "forever chemicals" because they take thousands of years to break down and last indefinitely in the bloodstream.
Exposure to high levels of certain PFAS can lead to high blood pressure in pregnant women, low birth weight in infants, increased risk of kidney or testicular cancer and increased cholesterol levels.
The university's report has prompted the state Department of Health to advise people against eating the meat of animals they may have hunted in the area.
A previous advisory to not drink, swim in or even touch the lake's water remains in place, Environment Department spokesman Matt Maez wrote in an email.
The findings at Lake Holloman validate action the state took when it filed a complaint against the Defense Department in 2019 for violating the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act, Maez wrote.
The Environment Department is working with the state Game and Fish Department to assess this study and determine how they should proceed, he added.
"It's infuriating that the Department of Defense continues to fight New Mexico versus fighting to clean up their own PFAS pollution," Environment Secretary James Kenney said in a statement.
PFAS has gained more attention in recent years as a growing health threat as the toxic compounds increasingly turn up in public drinking water, private wells and food.
The chemicals are so widespread they have been detected in the blood of virtually every American who has been tested for them, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
PFAS has been used in firefighting foam, along with carpets, nonstick cookware and other common household products.
Firefighting foam has been blamed for the toxins contaminating groundwater at military installations, including in New Mexico. Those include the Holloman and Cannon Air Force bases and an Army National Guard site in the Santa Fe area.
Much less attention has been given to how PFAS affects wildlife and ecosystems. As with humans, prolonged exposure even to low doses can harm animals.
"It's in its infancy," Witt said of this field of research. "We're just scratching the surface."
Of the studies he has seen, very few show such intensive contamination of wildlife as his team's testing uncovered in the Lake Holloman area, he said.
Several years ago, state health and environmental regulators conducted tests at Lake Holloman and found PFAS levels as high as 5.9 million parts per trillion.
Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set a limit of 4 parts per trillion on PFOA and PFOS, two of the more potent compounds.
Lake Holloman and the adjacent wetlands should not be written off as an anomaly because they're so polluted with PFAS, Witt said. Wherever there's significant PFAS contamination, there's likely to be affected wildlife and, in turn, a risk to people who fish and hunt in these areas.
One of the biggest concerns is how the chemicals can bioaccumulate — or increase in magnitude as a larger predator eats smaller contaminated animals, which themselves consumed tainted prey.
At the top of the food chain are humans who could wind up getting a sizable PFAS dose, he said.
For instance, several duck species, including those people like to hunt and eat, had high levels of PFAS contamination, Witt said.
People who don't hunt often have a soft spot for certain wild animals that could be harmed by PFAS, he added.
"People might not care about mice, but they probably care about bobcats, and they definitely care about mountain lions," Witt said.
The lake, as Witt describes it, is like a superspreader hot spot with far-flung effects. it draws 100 species of birds, with thousands stopping there on a given day to take a break.
Some fly to Alaska and others travel to the tip of South America, he said. If they're tainted with PFAS, they'll pass it to whatever animals prey on them, he added.
"They're all part of this larger water bird network ... that extends across the whole hemisphere," Witt said.
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