On October 6, 2026, the European Chemicals Agency's Committee for Risk Assessment recommended that the European Commission classify trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and its inorganic salts as toxic to reproduction.
RAC proposed Category 1B for harmful effects on development and Category 2 for effects on sexual function and fertility. It also recommended classification as persistent, mobile and toxic (PMT) and very persistent and very mobile (vPvM).
ECHA said TFA does not degrade easily and can travel through soil and water, potentially causing widespread and very long-term contamination of groundwater and other water resources.
The recommendation follows a Greens/EFA study that found TFA in the blood of all 110 participants tested.
Adoption of such classification recommendations through the regular procedure can take years, prompting calls for the Commission to act sooner as part of the broader PFAS restriction and REACH revision debate.
