State wildlife officials on Tuesday issued a “do not eat” advisory for deer harvested in the greater Fairfield area because of concerns about chemical contamination.

Some deer harvested in that area tested positive for high levels of PFAS, chemicals used in things such as non-stick cookware, carpet and food packaging, according to a press release from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The “forever chemicals” are found in soil, water and plants and have been found in multiple “fields, farms, wells and waters” in the Fairfield area.

IF&W harvested deer from farm fields in Fairfield and found five out of eight of them had levels high enough in their meat to warrant a recommendation to not eat more than two or three meals a year. The others were still high enough to be concerning, IF&W found.

“Recent testing of deer harvested in the area show elevated levels of PFAS in both the meat and the liver of deer,” IF&W Commissioner Judy Camuso said in a statement. “We take the elevated levels seriously and advise people not to eat deer that were harvested in these areas.”

The area defined in the advisory includes all of Fairfield and parts of Smithfield, Oakland, Waterville, Skowhegan and Norridgewock.

Hunters with questions should call the department at 207-287-8000 for more information. Those who have already hunted deer in this area are advised to dispose of the deer in the trash or landfill, according to the department.