A new European PFAS study has found the ultrashort-chain PFAS TFA in the blood of all participants. VU researchers Marjorie van Duursen and Virissa Lenters interpreted the study data on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament.
PFAS is an umbrella term for a large group of man-made substances that hardly break down in the environment and are therefore often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’. Until now, research into exposure and possible health effects has focused mainly on long-chain PFAS, such as PFOS and PFOA. Much less is known about ultrashort-chain PFAS, such as trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Toxicologist Marjorie van Duursen and epidemiologist Virissa Lenters interpreted blood measurements and questionnaire data from 110 participants across nine European countries.
TFA stands out
TFA is formed, among other ways, when other PFAS, as well as some refrigerants and pesticides, break down. It can therefore enter water and plants and, in turn, end up in drinking water and food. People may also be exposed by inhaling TFA present in the air. What stood out in particular was the amount of TFA detected: the median concentration was 4.6 times higher than that of four widely studied long-chain PFAS combined. According to the researchers, TFA levels in this group were higher than those reported in previous human studies. However, only a small number of studies worldwide have so far measured TFA in human blood. The researchers found no clear difference in TFA levels between men and women.
Van Duursen: “We still know relatively little about the health effects of TFA. At the same time, concerns are increasing: European authorities have recently lowered the acceptable daily intake and decided that TFA should be classified as potentially harmful to fertility and the unborn child. The levels we are now finding in blood are therefore concerning, particularly because the amount of TFA in the environment has risen sharply in recent years and is expected to increase further.”
Four other PFAS detected
In addition to TFA, the four PFAS used by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in its assessment of health risks were also detected: PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS and PFNA. In 27 of the 110 participants, the combined concentration of these substances exceeded EFSA’s reference value. This amounts to around a quarter of the participants.
Van Duursen: “For a long time, PFAS research focused mainly on the well-known long-chain PFAS. Ultrashort-chain PFAS such as TFA have remained something of a blind spot. The animal studies that do exist show effects on, among other things, the liver, thyroid, fertility and development. This underlines the need to understand these substances much better.”
Exploratory study
The researchers stress that the findings should be interpreted with caution. The 110 volunteers do not constitute a representative sample of the European population, and the number of participants was too small to establish, for example, reliable differences between countries. The findings therefore provide an initial picture of exposure in this group and cannot simply be extrapolated to all Europeans.
Precisely because so much remains unknown about ultrashort-chain PFAS such as TFA, the researchers are calling for more research into sources, exposure and possible health effects in humans. The results also underline the need to reduce emissions and exposure to TFA, as well as to the substances that can break down into TFA, as quickly as possible in order to protect human health and the environment.
The VU researchers were not involved in the study design, blood collection or laboratory analyses, but interpreted the anonymised data provided to them. The full publication can be found here.