Research Results

Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)—a persistent and mobile chemical produced when many PFAS, fluorinated gases, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals break down—is accumulating irreversibly in rain, soil, drinking water, human blood, and food at concentrations orders of magnitude higher than other PFAS. TFA exhibits reproductive and liver toxicity in mammals and bioaccumulates readily in plants, yet ecotoxicity data remain limited, particularly for terrestrial ecosystems. Due to its extreme persistence, ongoing emissions from multiple sources, and irreversibly increasing concentrations, TFA may represent a “planetary boundary threat”—a substance reaching global-scale exposure levels that could trigger irreversible disruptions to vital Earth systems. The authors call for binding regulatory actions to reduce emissions of TFA and the many precursor chemicals that transform into TFA in the environment.