TFA is in the sights of health authorities in Europe and France, which has included it in the list of perennial pollutants that it will control in tap water from January 2026.
What is TFA?
TFA, or trifluoroacetic acid, " is a very small molecule", similar to acetic acid (the component of vinegar), Hans-Peter Arp, professor of chemistry, explained to AFP the environment at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute and the Norwegian University of Science and technology.
A notable difference is its carbon-fluorine bond, which makes it extremely stable, like all of PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances), hence its persistence in the environmentIt is one of the smallest and most mobile of this family of molecules.
TFA: multiple uses, multiple forms of pollution
Its properties (highly acidic, soluble, and stable) make it a widely used molecule in industry. Furthermore, " Many sectors produce chemical substances that degrade into TFA" , underlines Hans-Peter Arp, a specialist in this substance. It is thus used as a raw material in the production of pesticides. At the same time, the degradation of some of them, like the herbicide flufenacet, leads to the production of TFA.
In the pharmaceutical industry, it is used as a catalyst in the synthesis of drugs, particularly anticancer drugs. But the main source of TFA in the environment is the " new chemicals used in heating and air conditioning systems, called fluorinated gases", Mr. Arp. Ironically, the introduction of these products " is linked to the Montreal Protocol" , signed in 1987 for replace the refrigerant gases which destroy the ozone layer or contribute to climate change.
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Lower toxicity but extreme exposure
Currently under evaluation by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), TFA has been classified reprotoxic by the German Environment Agency, that is to say, exposing fetuses to risks of malformations, even if it is, at this stage of knowledge, considered to be " one of the least toxic PFAS", according to Hans-Peter Arp.
However, he immediately adds a warning: This is the one to which we are most exposed, and this exposure is increasing, so this lower toxicity is somewhat offset by this extreme exposure“.
Present in water, in food
In early December, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) announced that it had detected TFA in 92% of water samples analyzed during a research campaign (647 samples were taken from raw water sources and 627 from distributed water sources.).
A study from the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe NGO collective, carried out on 66 products cereals purchased in 16 European countries (breakfast cereals, pasta, croissants, bread, flour), found TFA in 81.8% of the controlled samples, at concentrations significantly higher than that of tap water.
What is the current state of French and European regulations?
In Brussels, MEPs and member states reached an agreement to add 25 PFAS, including TFA, to the list of pollutants to be monitored as a priority in waterways. Parliament and the 27 member states must now approve this law before it can be transposed into national law. in European countries before the end of 2027.
In France, on ANSES recommendationThe government has added TFA to the list of 20 "perennial pollutants" to be monitored in drinking water, starting in January 2026.
Health value thresholds that are difficult to define
Pending the results of the European expert review on the toxicity of TFA, expected in the summer of 2026, France, like Germany, has adopted an indicative health value of 60 micrograms per liter, " with a more protective target of ten micrograms per litre" , has the government indicated.
Green Party MP Nicolas Thierry, author of the first French law on PFAS, points out that the Netherlands has set the threshold at 2.2 micrograms. “ If the threshold is set too high, (…) This allows us to confirm that the water is compliant.", without guarantee of health protection, he lamented.
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The question of TFA toxicity is all the more crucial as it is very complicated to remove it from water: only low-pressure reverse osmosis (LPRO) membrane filtration allows the retention of "short-chain" PFAS, such as TFA. A filtering technique using polymer fibers with pores smaller than one nanometer, extremely expensive and energy-intensive.
ASA with AFP
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