Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS for short, are industrial chemicals which, due to their water- and grease-repellent properties, have been used for decades in the manufacture of a wide range of products, such as textiles, household goods, fire-fighting foams, and electronics, as well as in the automotive, food and construction industries.
However, PFAS degrade poorly and, in some cases, slowly. As a result, they remain in the environment for decades and accumulate there. They are found everywhere: in the soil, in water, in the air. They enter our bodies via drinking water and food.
Another substance found everywhere is trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). TFA is the smallest PFAS compound and is often formed as a breakdown product of other fluorinated compounds, such as other PFAS or fluorinated gases, which are widely used as refrigerants in air conditioning systems, heat pumps and refrigerators. These fluorinated gases enter the atmosphere, where they are chemically converted into TFA by UV radiation. However, fluorinated compounds are also used in plant protection products and medicines, where they are converted into TFA. TFA is also very persistent and highly water-soluble – wherever there is water, TFA can now be found.
PFAS and TFA are therefore often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’.
Hardly any health effects yet
Humans primarily ingest PFAS through food and drinking water. The acute toxicity resulting from short-term high exposure is low for PFAS. However, they can accumulate in the body. Potential health effects are under discussion, such as a reduced immune response to vaccinations and altered cholesterol levels.
TFA is also detectable in food and drinking water, and humans ingest it. Due to its water solubility, TFA is excreted from the human body very quickly. The toxicity of the levels of TFA currently measured in the environment and food is very low and therefore poses no risk to human health.
The problem with these ‘forever chemicals’ is their longevity. This means that their residues in the environment are continuously increasing. Consequently, measures have already been taken in recent years to protect future generations from potential adverse effects.
Measures in Austria
Targeted measurement and monitoring programmes have been running in Austria for several years to obtain an accurate overview of potential contamination with PFAS and TFA in food and water.
For several years now, priority campaigns have been carried out on PFAS and TFA in food and drinking water. These investigations enable the authorities to get to the bottom of the causes and take appropriate action in the event of limit values being exceeded or unusual results.
The results of these investigations are published on the AGES website:
PFAS: Results of food and drinking water tests
TFA: Results of drinking water tests
In Austria, PFAS contamination is to be reduced in future through an action plan. The plan provides for measures to reduce emissions and environmental contamination, and to protect groundwater, drinking water, food and human health.
Measures in Europe
Due to the persistence of PFAS and the fact that they are now detectable throughout the environment, the focus is on preventing further releases. In 2023, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) submitted a proposal to ban the manufacture, use and placing on the market (including import) of at least 10,000 PFAS. The first bans and restrictions on the use and manufacture of frequently detected PFAS have been in place in Europe since 2010.
In the agricultural sector, too, the first active substances in plant protection products that release TFA have already been banned. The ban on the active substance flufenacet in 2025 alone will prevent a large proportion of TFA inputs from plant protection products in future.
Despite the ban, these substances remain detectable in the environment and thus also in food due to their persistence. Since 1 January 2023, EU maximum levels have therefore applied to PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS and the sum of these four PFAS in foods such as eggs, fish meat, crustaceans and shellfish, meat and edible offal. If the maximum levels are exceeded, these foods may not be marketed.
In addition, guideline values have been published for other food categories such as fruit, vegetables, starchy roots and tubers, wild mushrooms, milk and complementary foods. Guideline values are indicative figures for interpreting measurement results and indicate possible contamination. If the guideline values are exceeded, the cause of the contamination must be investigated. As part of this process, an assessment is carried out to determine whether the affected product remains marketable.
For drinking water, a limit value of 0.10 µg/l has been set for the sum of 20 PFAS.
