Europe finally has a certainty: trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), the “eternal” substance that contaminates rivers, aquifers and aqueducts across half the continent, is dangerous. This is stated by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) which has officially classified it as toxic for reproduction (Category 1B).
To understand the significance of this news, we need to take a step back. PFAS — an acronym for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are a family of over 10,000 synthetic chemical compounds that are used in many sectors: from non-stick pans to food packaging, from waterproof fabrics to fire-retardant products, and — this is the crucial point — they are also present in many agricultural pesticides.
The main problem is that they don’t degrade. Practically never. This is why they are called “forever chemicals”eternal substances which, once dispersed in the environment, accumulate in the soil, water and tissues of living organisms, including the human body. In recent years, scientific research has progressively associated exposure to PFAS with a long series of possible health effects: thyroid problems, alterations of the immune system, hormonal disorders, and some types of cancer.
TFA, the most widespread PFAS in Europe
Among the PFAS, one of the most present in our ecosystems is trifluoroacetic acid, known by the acronym TFA. It is not a compound used directly, but a degradation product. Simply put, when pesticides containing PFAS are used on fields, one of the residues they leave in the environment is TFA.
We are talking about the most widespread PFAS contaminant in European water resources. It has been detected in rivers, groundwater, drinking water, mineral water, wine and several foods. Its concentrations, according to monitoring by PAN Europe (Pesticide Action Network Europe), are constantly increasing. The European network of researchers and activists has been documenting and reporting it since 2023, detecting it practically everywhere you look.
Until recently, however, the chemical industry claimed that TFA was a “harmless metabolite”. Now that position has officially been surpassed.
ECHA’s turning point
ECHA has now officially classified TFA as a reproductive toxicant (Category 1B), concluding that it can harm the fetus and is suspected of affecting fertility.
The classification is the result of an evaluation conducted by the Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) of ECHA itself, presented at its 77th meeting, and is based on studies conducted on animals exposed to TFA prenatally. The results are serious and documented: ocular and skeletal malformations in rabbits, effects on the immune system and thyroid in rats, indications of damage to sperm quality. In addition to reproductive toxicity, the RAC has classified TFA as mobile, persistent and toxic, also recognizing its danger to the environment.
Experts point out that the damage is most acute precisely in the moments of greatest vulnerability in life, during pregnancy and in the very first years of the child’s development.
As Dr. Angeliki Lysimachou, Head of Science and Policy at PAN Europe, stated:
The announced decision confirms what we have been warning since 2023: TFA is not a harmless metabolite of PFAS. It can be toxic to humans and the damage is greatest during the most vulnerable periods of life: pregnancy and early childhood.
For years, the pesticide industry downplayed the risks of TFA, claiming that the scientific evidence was insufficient for alarm. PAN Europe had analyzed the same animal studies, arriving at similar conclusions to those of the RAC, and had denounced this strategy in the report “Manufacturing Doubt“, documenting how the producers had systematically tried to downplay the research results.
ECHA’s official classification debunks that narrative. As Dr. Peter Clausing, senior toxicologist at PAN Germany, who participated as an observer in the RAC discussions, commented:
We applaud the RAC Committee for its rigorous, objective and independent evaluation. The evidence was carefully examined and the scientific justification was of the highest standard.
What happens now
The classification of TFA is not only a scientific question, but could have important regulatory consequences. In fact, European legislation on pesticides provides for particular restrictions for active substances that generate toxicologically relevant metabolites and capable of contaminating groundwater. Because TFA is a breakdown product of many PFAS pesticides and other fluorinated substances, its new classification as a reproductive toxicant could impact future evaluations and authorizations of these products.
PAN Europe is now calling on European and Member State authorities to act without further delay by banning all PFAS pesticides that release TFA into the environment. As Salomé Roynel, head of policy at PAN Europe, said:
The toxicity of TFA is now beyond question. Every year of delay means more pollution that future generations will have to live with. The law on pesticides is clear: policymakers at EU and Member State level are now legally obliged to ban all PFAS pesticides and TFA-emitting substances, without delay.
Meanwhile, the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) is working on defining a limit value for safe exposure levels to TFA. But PAN Europe warns that setting a threshold is not enough, at current rates of increase in contamination, exposure levels will reach dangerous values regardless of where the border is drawn. The only structural solution, they insist, is to stop pollution at its source.
Sources: ECHA / PAN Europe
