On July 22, the EU’s food safety agency said it has dramatically reduced the acceptable daily intake level of the so-called forever chemical TFA, following new evidence of its effect on a key hormone that regulates the body’s metabolism.
The European Commission and member states are expected to use the agency’s decision to update the concentration limits of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in drinking water, where it is widely present.
TFA is formed after substances including pesticides break down and can end up in groundwater, soil and food crops.
The food safety agency EFSA said it has “lowered the acceptable daily intake (ADI) to 0.014 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight per day, down from the previous value of 0.05.”
That is the amount of TFA that can be consumed daily throughout a lifetime without posing a significant health risk.
The new ADI is about 3.5 times lower than the previous one, it said in a press release.
New evidence showed “among other effects, that TFA changes levels of thyroxine, a hormone produced by the thyroid gland that plays an important role in regulating the body.”
TFA is the smallest and most persistent type of perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), often called forever chemicals as they take an extremely long time to break down.
PFAS are a class of synthetic chemicals used in everything from nonstick cookware and clothing to industrial manufacturing, and TFA is one of the most widespread and difficult to remove.
