WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Sustainable PFAS Action Network (SPAN), the nation’s leading voice for risk-based PFAS management, today released a white paper examining the current science surrounding trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and how TFA should be considered in the overall context of PFAS management policy.
Developed by SPAN’s Refrigerant Working Group, “The Basics of Trifluoroacetic Acid (TFA)” provides a plain language overview of the sources of TFA in the environment, and its environmental fate, toxicity, and potential exposure pathways. The paper finds that TFA has low toxicity and little potential for bioaccumulation, and is not expected to pose a significant risk to human health or the environment under realistic conditions. While current evidence suggests that TFA is persistent and highly mobile in the environment, further understanding of these factors is needed for successful risk-based PFAS management policy that properly considers the science surrounding TFA. The white paper can serve as a complement to readers when interpreting the opinion on TFA as recently released by the European Chemicals Agency Risk Assessment Committee, which focuses on the hazard profile of TFA.
“TFA underscores why PFAS policy cannot rely on broad classifications alone,” said Kevin Fay, Sustainable PFAS Action Network Executive Director. “The available science shows important differences in the toxicity, exposure and risk profiles of these substances. Policymakers at the state, federal, and international levels should consider those differences and ensure regulations are grounded in the best available science.”
SPAN formed the Refrigerant Working Group earlier this year to address misconceptions surrounding refrigerants and PFAS and promote an awareness of accurate, science-based information. The group identified TFA as an initial area of focus to provide further context, assess potential risks, and provide policymakers with a clear assessment of the current science.
The SPAN RWG has also decided to examine the science behind TFA as part of a larger effort to encourage a sustainable, risk-based PFAS management approach at the international level. Certain regulatory efforts, such as the REACH proposal on PFAS, are extraordinarily broad, and do not accurately account for important differences in PFAS, or provide sufficient derogations and exemptions for critical uses of PFAS that are essential to the modern world, such as certain refrigerants needed to support climate change initiatives. Further, SPAN is concerned the recent hazard-focused assessment of TFA released by the ECHA Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) could be misconstrued as a full risk assessment and used to justify overly-broad and unsustainable regulatory frameworks, when current information on TFA reflects that no real-world risk to human health and the environment has been demonstrated. SPAN is releasing our TFA white paper as an initial step in an effort to provide greater context to an issue that, if handled improperly, will have detrimental impacts on the modern economy and the successful implementation of international climate agreements.
Certain refrigerants that can break down into TFA have undergone federal regulatory review by U.S. EPA and approval processes and their use plays a critical role in refrigeration and air conditioning technologies and in meeting international climate commitments. The white paper calls for policies affecting TFA to consider potential trade-offs with climate objectives alongside environmental exposure and toxicological risk, while supporting continued monitoring and research.
Click here to read the full paper.
About the Sustainable PFAS Action Network
The Sustainable PFAS Action Network (SPAN) is a coalition advocating for science-based, risk-focused PFAS policies that protect public health while preserving essential technologies and critical supply chains. SPAN works with policymakers, industry leaders, and technical experts to advance practical management frameworks grounded in sound science and real-world implementation.
