A significant surge in levels of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a toxic “forever chemical,” has been detected in European wines, highlighting the pervasive spread of persistent industrial pollutants in food, water, and soil.
According to The Guardian, researchers with Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe first analyzed ten Austrian wines—ranging from vintages as early as 1974 to bottles sold between 2021 and 2024 in supermarkets—to assess the impact of chemical regulations and the use of TFA precursors over time.
After finding unexpectedly high levels of TFA in recent wines, the organization collaborated with partners across Europe to expand the study. The final analysis included 49 commercially available wines from 10 different countries. Wines produced prior to 1988 contained no detectable TFA, but a dramatic rise was observed in wines bottled after 2010, with recent vintages averaging 121 micrograms per liter. In comparison, wines from 1988 to 2010 showed far lower concentrations, ranging between 13 and 21 micrograms per liter. Organic wines generally had lower TFA levels than conventionally produced varieties.
“The wines that contained the highest concentration of TFA, on average, were also the wines we found with the highest amount of pesticide residue,” said Salomé Roynel of PAN Europe. The organization has called on the European Commission and EU member states to prohibit the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in pesticides.
PFAS, a group of approximately 7 million chemicals, are widely used in products including non-stick cookware, dental floss, and food packaging. Known for their environmental persistence, these substances are now detected in air, water, soil, and even wildlife across the globe. Despite growing evidence of health risks, regulatory efforts have historically lagged.
Some scientists argue that TFA’s environmental persistence and rising concentrations qualify it as a “planetary boundary threat” under the category of novel entities—substances that could cause irreversible damage to Earth’s critical systems.
“The findings are shocking,” said Hans Peter Arp, lead author of a related study and a researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. “They also provide further evidence that PFAS pesticides are a major source of TFA in agricultural areas, in addition to emissions from fluorinated refrigerants and pharmaceuticals.”
TFA is a breakdown product of several fluorinated substances, including F-gases used in refrigeration. These chemicals became popular after 1988 as substitutes for ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons. A 2024 study reported a “significant increase” in TFA concentrations in groundwater beneath farmland, compared to other land uses.
“Everywhere you look, it’s increasing,” said environmental consultant David Behringer, who has studied TFA in rainwater for the German government. “If you’re drinking water, you’re drinking a lot of TFA, wherever you are in the world.” He added that the chemical is costly and difficult to remove once it enters the environment. “The logical course is to stop the input,” he warned.
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