TFA safety limit changes – overview
- EFSA reduced TFA acceptable daily intake from 0.05 to 0.014mg
- New evidence linked TFA exposure to altered thyroid hormone levels
- TFA persists in soil and water, contaminating food crops
- EFSA identified research gaps around carcinogenicity and immune effects
- EU regulators may tighten monitoring and risk management measures
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has dropped the level deemed safe for trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in the human diet.
The acceptable daily intake (ADI) has been reduced from 0.05 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight per day to 0.014 milligrams.
The EU agency has also set a new acute reference dose of 0.07 milligrams.
These changes, say EFSA, are based on “new scientific 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".
This evidence 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
Further areas for research have also been identified, including the potential for TFA to cause long-term toxicity and carcinogenicity, and developmental immunotoxicity.
What is trifluoroacetic acid?
Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is a synthetic chemical that belongs to the perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances family (PFAS). PFAS are often called 'forever chemicals' as they break down slowly in the environment.
Researchers are increasingly finding TFA in products such as wine, beer, tea, fruit juices, cereals, fruits and vegetables because it is highly persistent in the environment. Once deposited in soil and water through rainfall, industrial emissions or the breakdown of PFAS compounds, it can accumulate over time and be taken up by crops through their roots.
TFA is currently considered the most widespread PFAS chemical found in the environment.
Regulatory implications
The European Commission and EU Member States have confirmed that they will take the new safe levels for TFA into account as they consider potential regulatory and risk management measures, with the aim of ensuring continued consumer protection.
While EFSA’s review does not automatically trigger new restrictions, the lower safety thresholds are likely to intensify scrutiny of TFA sources across Europe.
The European Commission and Member States will now assess whether the revised thresholds warrant additional measures, such as enhanced monitoring of TFA in food and water, restrictions on substances that generate TFA or changes to existing risk assessment procedures.
With TFA increasingly detected in food, water and the wider environment, regulators are likely to face growing pressure to take further action to reduce exposure and protect public health.
