Home / Health / EU Slashes "Forever Chemical" Safe Intake
EU Slashes "Forever Chemical" Safe Intake
22 Jul
Summary
- EU food safety agency reduced safe daily intake of trifluoroacetic acid.
- New limits are based on evidence showing TFA affects thyroxine hormone levels.
- TFA can form from pesticide breakdown and enters water and food.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced a reduced safe daily intake level for trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a substance commonly known as a "forever chemical" due to its environmental persistence. This update reflects new scientific evidence highlighting TFA's impact on human health.
Specifically, the acceptable daily intake has been lowered from 0.05 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight per day to 0.014 milligrams. This revision is based on findings that TFA can alter levels of thyroxine, a vital hormone produced by the thyroid gland.
TFA is a type of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) that can form from the breakdown of other PFAS, including certain pesticide active substances. Consequently, it can contaminate groundwater, soil, and agricultural produce, raising concerns about wider environmental and human exposure.
EU member states are mandated to monitor PFAS in drinking water, with additional programs tracking levels in food. The EFSA, in collaboration with the European Chemicals Agency, continues to study how PFAS degrade into TFA and its environmental behavior, with findings expected by next summer.
