Rising Alarm: TFA Contamination in European Wines and Its Potential Health Risks
Recent analysis has uncovered alarming levels of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in European wines, prompting concerns about contamination that could breach planetary boundaries. Researchers from Pesticide Action Network Europe conducted a study testing 49 bottles of commercial wine to examine the progression of TFA contamination in food and drink over recent decades. Their findings highlighted a troubling trend, revealing levels of TFA— a breakdown product of long-lasting PFAS chemicals— significantly exceeding those previously recorded in water.
The study’s results demonstrate a stark difference in TFA levels between wines produced before and after 1988, with no traces found in older vintages and a steep rise observed in wines produced after 2010. Both organic and conventional wines showed increased contamination, though organic varieties tended to have lower levels. According to Salomé Roynel from Pesticide Action Network Europe, the wines with the highest TFA concentrations often also contained significant amounts of pesticide residue, further emphasizing the role of agricultural practices in this concerning trend.
The researchers utilized 10 Austrian cellar wines dating back to 1974 and 16 wines purchased from supermarkets between 2021 and 2024. Upon finding unexpectedly high TFA levels, the team sought additional samples from partners across Europe. The results revealed that no detectable amounts of TFA were present in older wines, with a slight increase in concentrations from 13 µg/L to 21 µg/L between 1988 and 2010, and a sharp escalation thereafter, reaching an average of 121 µg/L in the most recent vintages.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are known for their widespread use in consumer products, some of which have been linked to adverse health effects. Though authorities historically downplayed potential health impacts from TFA contamination, emerging studies in mammals suggest risks to reproductive health. Last year, Germany's chemical regulator proposed classifying TFA as toxic to reproduction within the European framework, furthering the alarm over this chemical.
A recent study proposed that the persistent nature of TFA, coupled with rising concentrations, indicates it poses a threat to planetary boundaries due to novel entities affecting vital earth systems. Hans Peter Arp, a researcher from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, remarked that while the Pesticide Action Network report provided preliminary screening, the findings were consistent with scientific consensus regarding TFA's troubling rise across environmental mediums.
Arp pointed out that agricultural areas utilize PFAS pesticides as a significant source of TFA, alongside other contributors like refrigerants and pharmaceuticals. TFA's primary sources include fluorinated refrigerants, known as F-gases, which dispersed globally following the 1987 Montreal Protocol's ban on ozone-depleting substances, and PFAS pesticides which proliferated throughout Europe in the 1990s.
A November study that analyzed groundwater data from southern Germany further confirmed a significant uptick in TFA concentrations in agricultural lands compared to other land uses, highlighting the pervasive and enduring nature of this chemical contamination.
Gabriel Sigmund, a researcher at Wageningen University, explained that TFA cannot undergo natural degradation and is challenging and costly to remove during water treatment processes. Furthermore, there is sparse data on the TFA formation rates for many precursor pesticides, rendering it difficult to gauge their current potential for TFA formation in agricultural soils. The accumulation of pesticides suggests that even if their use were to cease immediately, TFA concentrations in water resources and the environment may continue to rise in the coming years, presenting a long-term public health concern and environmental challenge for Europe.
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