PFAS breakdown chemical TFA found in blood of Europeans
Researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) in the Netherlands detected the ultra-short-chain PFAS compound trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in the blood of all 110 participants in an exploratory European biomonitoring study. The median TFA concentration was 4.6 times higher than the combined median concentration of four well-studied long-chain PFAS. VU Amsterdam announced the results on 1 October 2026. They draw attention to a substance that has so far received little research in humans.
What did the study find?
Blood samples and questionnaire data were collected from 110 volunteers in nine European countries for the study. Toxicologist Marjorie van Duursen and epidemiologist Virissa Lenters of VU Amsterdam interpreted the anonymised data on behalf of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament; they were not involved in designing the study, collecting blood or carrying out the laboratory analyses. Alongside TFA, the researchers also measured PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS and PFNA, the four substances used by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in its risk assessment. In 27 of the 110 participants, roughly a quarter, the combined concentration of those four substances exceeded EFSA’s reference value. According to the researchers, the TFA levels found were higher than in earlier human studies, although worldwide there is still little comparative research on TFA in blood. No clear difference in TFA levels between men and women was found. The researchers stress that the sample is not representative of the European population and too small for reliable comparisons between countries; the results should therefore not simply be extrapolated to all Europeans.
What is TFA and why is it a concern?
TFA is a breakdown product of certain PFAS and other fluorinated substances, including some refrigerants and pesticides. It can end up in water and plants, and from there in drinking water and food; people can also inhale TFA through the air. “We still know relatively little about the health effects of TFA,” says Van Duursen. “Ultra-short-chain PFAS such as TFA have remained something of a blind spot.” According to the researchers, animal studies show effects on the liver, thyroid, fertility and development; the health effects in humans are still poorly understood. They call for more research into sources, exposure and health effects, and argue for a rapid reduction in emissions and exposure to TFA and to substances that can break down into TFA.
Context
On 5 June 2026, the Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) recommended classifying TFA as a reproductive toxicant, category 1B, with hazard statements indicating that the substance may damage the unborn child and is suspected of damaging fertility; the European Commission has yet to decide on this classification. According to the European ventilation and refrigeration industry association Eurovent, it was still unclear at the time what consequences this classification would have for the planned EU-wide restriction on PFAS under the REACH regulation. According to the VU Amsterdam researchers, European authorities have also lowered the acceptable daily intake of TFA.
Source: PFAS : des niveaux élevés de TFA détectés dans le sang de volontaires européens, 6 October 2026
Additional research: VU Amsterdam, “Little-studied PFAS TFA widely detected in blood of European participants”, Eurovent, “ECHA classifies TFA as highly hazardous”
