New Mexico AG Urged Defense Department to Protect Public from PFAS Exposure

MAY 9, 2019

New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas sent a letter to the Defense Department and U.S. Air Force urging “immediate action” to prevent public exposure to per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS) near Holloman and Cannon Air Force Bases. Along with New Mexico Environment Department Secretary James Kenney, AG Balderas urged the Defense Department and Air Force to close Lake Holloman, near Holloman Air Force Base, in response to recent testing that revealed “extremely high levels” of PFAS in the lake. AG Balderas also requested the release of all information related to PFAS exposure risks near the two bases, which are at the center of a lawsuit brought by the state against the Defense Department in March 2019. In his letter, AG Balderas emphasized the severe human health risks associated with PFAS exposure, including “testicular cancer, kidney cancer, thyroid cancer, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, and pregnancy-induced hypertension, as well as developmental delays.”