Overview
- The European Chemicals Agency’s Risk Assessment Committee in Helsinki recommended on Wednesday that trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) be classed as a likely reproductive toxicant.
- ECHA said evidence shows TFA can reduce fertility and harm developing embryos and fetuses, citing animal studies that reported developmental defects including severe eye damage.
- The agency warned that TFA is very persistent and very mobile in water, has been detected in rivers and drinking supplies, and is difficult and costly to remove from water treatment systems.
- TFA forms from some pesticides and refrigerants such as R1234yf and is used in chemical and pharmaceutical processes, which creates hard tradeoffs because industry warns that broad bans would be hard to replace.
- The recommendation now moves to the European Commission, where officials, member states and NGOs will weigh possible labels, limits, targeted bans or exemptions and the wider proposal to restrict PFAS as a group.