The Global Threat\nfrom the Irreversible Accumulation\nof Trifluoroacetic Acid (TFA)

Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is a persistent and mobile\nsubstance\nthat has been increasing in concentration within diverse environmental\nmedia, including rain, soils, human serum, plants, plant-based foods,\nand drinking water. Currently, TFA concentrations are orders of magnitude\nhigher than those of other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).\nThis accumulation is due to many PFAS having TFA as a transformation\nproduct, including several fluorinated gases (F-gases), pesticides,\npharmaceuticals, and industrial chemicals, in addition to direct release\nof industrially produced TFA. Due to TFA’s extreme persistence\nand ongoing emissions, concentrations are increasing irreversibly.\nWhat remains less clear are the thresholds where irreversible effects\non local or global scales occur. There are indications from mammalian\ntoxicity studies that TFA is toxic to reproduction and that it exhibits\nliver toxicity. Ecotoxicity data are scarce, with most data being\nfor aquatic systems; fewer data are available for terrestrial plants,\nwhere TFA bioaccumulates most readily. Collectively, these trends\nimply that TFA meets the criteria of a planetary boundary threat for\nnovel entities because of increasing planetary-scale exposure, where\npotential irreversible disruptive impacts on vital earth system processes\ncould occur. The rational response to this is to instigate binding\nactions to reduce the emissions of TFA and its many precursors.