The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) considers TFA, or trifluoroacetic acid, which is very present in tap water, as " toxic to reproduction" , we learned Wednesday from the agency. According to the exact terminology of the European CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) regulation, it is classified as toxic to reproduction, category 1B, Or " "Substance presumed to be toxic to human reproduction."
"A very long-lasting and widespread contamination of water resources"“
THE TFA, widely used in industry and as a herbicide, is also a substance " very persistent and highly mobile, capable of causing very long-lasting and widespread contamination of water resources"The agency added in a message to AFP. This classification This will need to be ratified soon by the European Commission. In France, the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) announced in December that it had detected TFA in 92% of the water samples analyzed.
Read also 92% samples of raw and distributed water contain TFA in France
Where can I find TFA?
Its properties – highly acidic, soluble, and stable – make it a widely used molecule in industry. It should be noted that this multiplicity of uses will slow down or even paralyze the necessary substitution process. TFA is thus used as a raw material in the production of pesticides and in the degradation of some of them. For example, it has been shown that the degradation of the herbicide flufenacet in fields, including theThe ban on its use begins on December 17, 2026. In France, it leads to the production of TFA. In the pharmaceutical industry, it is used as a catalyst in the synthesis of drugs, particularly cancer treatments. It is also found in fluorinated gases used in heating and air conditioning systems. These fluorinated gases were introduced following the Montreal Protocol, signed in 1987, which aimed to replace refrigerants that deplete the ozone layer and contribute to climate change. The solution has created other problems.
Read alsoTFA, a "perpetual pollutant" to be monitored in drinking water from January 2026
More toxic during vulnerable periods of life
This decision This confirms what we have been reporting since 2023: TFA is not a harmless metabolite of PFAS. It can be toxic to humans, and the risks are highest during the most vulnerable periods of life: pregnancy and early childhood.“,” reacted Dr. Angeliki Lysimachou, head of scientific and political affairs at the NGO Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe. Another specialist interviewed by AFP last December, Hans-Peter Arp, closely monitors this small molecule. When asked about the reproductive toxicity of trifluoroacetic acid, he stated that although TFA is currently considered to be “ one of the least toxic PFAS"That's the PFAS." to which we are most exposed and this exposure is increasing, so this lower toxicity is somehow compensated by this extreme exposure.“
In Brussels, MEPs and member states reached an agreement to add 25 PFAS, including TFA, to the list of pollutants to be prioritized for control in waterways. Parliament and the 27 member states must now approve this legislation before it is transposed into national law by the end of 2027. The European Commission is working with the WHO to assess and recommend revised health-based standards for PFAS and TFA in drinking water.
AFP with ASA
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