Alarm Over Rising "Forever Chemical" TFA In European Wines

Levels of the little-known "forever chemical" trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) have risen sharply in European wines over recent decades, raising concerns about environmental contamination, Ajit Niranjan reported for The Guardian.

Wines produced before 1988 showed no TFA, but contamination rose modestly through 2010 and then sharply thereafter.

Researchers from Pesticide Action Network Europe (PAN Europe) tested 49 wine bottles, finding TFA — a breakdown product of PFAS chemicals associated with fertility risks — at much higher concentrations than previously detected in water supplies.

Wines produced before 1988 showed no TFA, but contamination rose modestly through 2010 and then sharply thereafter, reaching an average of 121 micrograms per liter in the most recent vintages.

“The wines with the highest TFA concentrations were also those with the most pesticide residue,” said Salomé Roynel of PAN Europe, which has urged a ban on PFAS pesticides.