PAN Europe and Global 2000 call for an immediate ban of PFAS pesticides
A new study reveals alarmingly high levels of the ‘forever chemical’ trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in everyday cereals and cereal products. The findings point to widespread contamination from PFAS pesticides, showing TFA levels three times higher than in a comparable study from eight years ago. While EU regulators are currently advancing the classification of TFA as toxic for reproduction, PAN Europe and Global 2000 urge policymakers to act without delay and stop this avoidable pollution of food and water by banning PFAS pesticides today.
The study, carried out by PAN Europe’s member Global 2000 in Austria, is a follow-up of the recently published EU-wide study of TFA in wine. [1] The organisation analysed 48 cereal varieties and cereal products purchased in Austria, including pasta, baked goods, breakfast cereals, and whole grains, equally split between organic and conventional sources.
"The level of TFA, especially in bread and pasta, is very worrying and demands immediate action to prevent further TFA emissions into the environment. In conventional grain products, the average levels were so high that a health risk to children can no longer be ruled out," warns study author Helmut Burtscher-Schaden, an environmental chemist at GLOBAL 2000. This conclusion was reached by comparing the levels found with the current risk assessments of the health authorities in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Key findings include:
- All 48 products tested were contaminated with TFA, ranging from 13 µg/kg in organically grown rye to 420 µg/kg in conventional butter cookies. These levels are about 100 to 1,000 times higher than the already high levels of TFA found in rainwater, groundwater, and drinking water.
- Conventional products were more than three times as contaminated as organic products. However, all 24 organic products tested showed contamination levels above 10 µg/kg. This underlines the high mobility and widespread distribution of TFA in the environment.
- Health guidelines exceeded: The daily tolerable intake (TDI) of TFA set by the Dutch health authorities is exceeded by 1.5 times by adults with average cereal consumption (conventional products only) and by as much as 4 times by young children.
- A steep rise in TFA levels: Compared to the only official cereal test for TFA conducted just under a decade ago, contamination has tripled. [2]
Professor Hans Peter Arp, an internationally renowned environmental chemist and TFA researcher [3], sees the study results as further confirmation of the massive and accelerated accumulation of TFA in water, soil, and plants, which poses a serious threat to planetary boundaries: "This study is shocking, but not unexpected for those of us who study TFA. We are observing that TFA levels are rapidly increasing in ecosystems, humans, and animals worldwide. Therefore, we must now discuss how we can curb this rapid increase before this contamination crosses planetary boundaries, and toxic effects on vulnerable populations occur."
TFA is a breakdown product of PFAS pesticides and industrial chemicals. Due to its extreme persistence and water solubility, TFA accumulates in water resources and living organisms. Recent soil analyses by German environmental authorities confirm that agricultural soils are now a major reservoir of TFA, which partly explains its accumulation in food crops.
On May 26, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published a proposal to classify TFA as “toxic for reproduction, category 1B,” with the hazard statements H360Df: "May damage the unborn child. May impair fertility." [4] Meanwhile, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is reviewing TFA toxicological reference values for TFA. Its conclusions are expected in February 2026. [5]
“Exposure to TFA occurs through multiple sources, including food and water. These alarming findings should lead to an immediate ban of all PFAS pesticides without any delay. We also demand that safety thresholds reflect cumulative intake and ensure protection for the most vulnerable, including children and pregnant women,” said Salomé Roynel, Policy Officer at PAN Europe.
The PAN Europe network asks the EU Commission and Member States to take urgent action and ban the use of all PFAS pesticides as soon as possible.
Notes:
[1] Study reveals alarming surge of forever chemical TFA in European wine | PAN Europe
[2] EurlSrm_residue-Observation_TFA-DFA
[5] Open EFSA
Learn more:
The study was carried out by GLOBAL 2000 in collaboration with the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labour (Arbeiterkammer Oberösterreich) and with the support of PAN Europe.
Contact:
- Pesticide Action Network Europe (PAN Europe), Salomé Roynel, Policy Officer, salome [at] pan-europe.info, + 32 451 02 31 33
- GLOBAL 2000 – Friends of the Earth Austria, Dr. Helmut Burtscher-Schaden, Environmental Chemist, helmut.burtscher [at] global2000.at, +43 699 14 2000 34
