The European Food Safety Authority tightened its guidance on Wednesday on acceptable levels of TFA, a widespread water pollutant, paving the way for stricter drinking water checks across Europe.
TFA is the smallest and most persistent compound in the PFAS family, often described as “forever chemicals” because they can remain in the environment for years.
It is formed when pesticides break down or from certain gases used in industry. It has been detected in soils, groundwater and crops, and ultimately in drinking water and food.
After reviewing new scientific evidence, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) set a new tolerable daily intake for consumers at 0.014 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day.
This is the amount that can be consumed every day over a lifetime without presenting a significant health risk.
The new threshold is about 3.5 times lower than the previous limit of 0.05 mg/kg, which was set in 2017 on the basis of what was then considered a limited dataset.
EFSA said the tighter health standard was based on recent animal studies that identified harmful effects on development and reproduction, and above all on levels of thyroxine, a thyroid hormone that plays an important role in regulating metabolism.
At the same time, the EU’s food safety body said it was unlikely that TFA is genotoxic, meaning it is not expected to damage the DNA of cells.
However, the agency’s experts said important uncertainties remain because of the lack of data on long-term toxicity and its potential to cause cancer.
