EFSA Lowers Safe Level for Exposure to TFA

PARMA, Italy — The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced it has reduced the safe level of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in the diet based on new scientific evidence. TFA is a breakdown product of some pesticides.

The European Commission and EU Member States will take the new levels into account when they discuss measures to ensure consumers remain protected, EFSA said. 

What is TFA?

Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is a chemical coming from multiple sources that can form when per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances break down, including from certain active substances in pesticides. As a result, TFA can end up in groundwater, soil and food crops.

EU Member States are required to monitor PFAS levels in drinking water, while other monitoring programs track PFAS levels in food.

What has changed?

EFSA’s experts lowered the acceptable daily intake (ADI) to 0.014 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight per day, down from the previous value of 0.05. The new ADI is about 3.5 times lower than the previous one. They also set a new acute reference dose of 0.07 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

These updated values are based on new evidence, which showed, among other effects, that TFA changes levels of thyroxine — a hormone produced by the thyroid gland that plays an important role in regulating the body, according to EFSA. 

What evidence was used?

EFSA issued a call for data that ran from August 6 to October 7, 2024. The information EFSA looked at includes:

• Data from EU country assessments of pesticide products that can form TFA
• Previous EFSA assessments of active substances in pesticides that can form TFA
• Studies considered by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) as part of classification proposals
• Industry data

EFSA said it worked closely with experts from EU countries, academia and other organizations, and invited them to contribute throughout the process, including in the working group. EFSA said it received 177 comments in response to public consultation, all of which were considered in the final report.

EFSA also identified areas for further research, including the potential of TFA for long-term toxicity and carcinogenicity and developmental immunotoxicity. An additional uncertainty factor was introduced in the calculation of the ADI to account for these uncertainties, said EFSA. 

How does this relate to other EU work on TFA?

EFSA’s work is part of wider EU efforts to assess and manage PFAS substances, in cooperation with other bodies such as ECHA.

EFSA and ECHA are currently examining how PFAS pesticides break down into TFA, and its fate and behavior in soil and water, which is expected to be completed by next summer.