October the 2nd, 2026 – A group of Croatian subjects were tested for the presence of so-called “forever chemicals”, and they were unfortunately discovered, in levels that are much too high.
Of the ten Croatian participants included in a new European study, six had the sum of four long-chain PFAS compounds, also known as “forever chemicals”, above the health-based reference value set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Vedran Salvia reports for Index that a worrying seven of the participants were from Gospić, and five of them were above that threshold.
forever chemicals were discovered in all participants
The study covered 110 people from nine European Union countries. All four analysed long-chain PFAS compounds were found in every participant. However, in 27 of them, or 25 percent, their sum was above the EFSA reference value. The study was commissioned by the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament, and the interpretation of the results was carried out by researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Additional data on the Croatian participants was obtained by Index from the Greens/EFA office in the European Parliament. Thus we learn that, in addition to the seven people from Gospić, two more from Knin and one person from Pula were tested.
what exactly were they tested for?
The long-chain PFAS compounds for which the participants were tested are PFOA, PFOS, PFNA and PFHxS. These are four “forever chemicals” that EFSA considers together, i.e. it adds up their concentrations into the value ΣEFSA-4. If that value is above 6.9 ng/mL, it is considered to exceed the health-based reference threshold of EFSA. This does not mean that a person above that threshold will develop health problems, but that it is a level above the one EFSA considers health-acceptable for long-term exposure.
The participants were also tested for five ultra-short-chain PFAS compounds (TFA, PFPrA, TFMS, PFEtS and PFPrS). In the results, TFA stands out, while the remaining four compounds were found in traces or were not detected at all and are not of greater significance for this study.
how dangerous is all of this?
“Forever chemicals” is the popular name for a large group of synthetic organic compounds that are extremely difficult to break down and therefore remain in the environment for a long time and can pose a significant danger to human health and environmental quality. People are exposed to PFAS compounds primarily through food and drinking water, and some types can also enter the body from the environment in which they accumulate for years.
We previously dealt with the topic of “forever chemicals” in the case of the illegal disposal of thousands of tonnes of waste in Lika, where PFAS were found in groundwater. At that time we spoke with Prof. Dr. Branimir K. Hackenberger from the Department of Biology at Josip Juraj Strossmayer University in Osijek. He explained that PFOS remains in the body for three to five years. Another of the more problematic PFAS compounds is PFOA. For that “forever chemical”, Hackenberger says that the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified it in 2023 among substances carcinogenic to humans, while PFOS was classified among possible carcinogens.
what is tfa?
TFA stands out in particular – an ultra-short-chain PFAS compound that was found in all participants in this study. TFA can accumulate in water resources and plants, including crops used for human nutrition. It accounted for as much as 81.4 percent of the total mass of the six detected PFAS compounds, and its concentrations were on average 4.6 times higher than the sum of the four long-chain PFAS. The authors also note that the median TFA levels measured in this study are the highest recorded so far in human serum. The study states that TFA is relatively quickly excreted from the body, with an estimated half-life of 16 to 60 hours. The authors therefore conclude that the measured levels “probably result from frequent exposure to significant amounts of TFA in everyday life.”
As for this European study, it is important to emphasise that the findings in the tested residents of Gospić are not linked to the local waste landfill. This is an independent study of PFAS exposure among citizens of several European countries.
the croatian results stand out
The Greens/EFA office notes that in the entire sample that threshold was exceeded by a quarter of the participants, while among the Croatian participants it was as many as 60 percent, or six out of ten. They also note that the Croatian participants stand out in that their median ΣEFSA-4 (the line in the middle of the blue box in the photo below) is among the highest among the countries covered, while the median TFA (the line in the middle of the green box) is among the lowest.
The study also showed some patterns related to PFAS levels. Among the most important factors were sex and age: men had a median ΣEFSA-4 of 7.3 ng/mL, compared to 3.7 ng/mL in women, and levels increased with age in men but not in women. Higher levels of long-chain PFAS were associated with more frequent consumption of meat and fish and seafood. The authors warn that the study is not representative and that the number of participants per country is too small for reliable comparisons. They estimate that to detect even moderate differences between countries, at least 20 to 30 participants per country would be needed.
“pfas compounds must be banned”
Gordan Bosanac, MEP from Možemo and member of the Greens/EFA group, told Index that they launched the testing campaign in order to identify the best-known PFAS compounds, but also those that chemical lobbies are trying to protect by claiming that they do not accumulate in our bodies.
“The result is a clear reality: forever chemicals are in our blood. We tested 110 people in nine European countries and in every single person we found TFA, the smallest and most persistent compound from the PFAS group, and this is a substance that the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) classifies as reproductively toxic. Subsequently, in the Croatians tested, very high levels of the four ‘classic’ long-chain PFAS compounds were also found. There is no alternative: PFAS compounds must be banned, and the gradual phasing out of their production and use must be systematically planned, supported and implemented. We can no longer wait, nor can we allow ourselves to continue being the ones who pay the price. The biggest polluters, primarily chemical companies, should bear the costs of cleaning up the pollution. If the Commission and the Member States vote against a PFAS ban, they will be directly responsible for crimes against the environment and public health,” he explained.
He adds that through the revision of the REACH chemicals regulation we must ban the placing of PFAS in new products and packaging.
“However, banning the creation of new PFAS is not enough. We must also change our attitude towards existing PFAS that is already in products on the market, that is already in our waste, that is already in the nature around us. As we know, these are forever chemicals and they will not disappear on their own. At the level of the entire EU, we need a strategy to combat PFAS waste – how we dispose of and treat that waste and how we ensure that it does not penetrate into nature and pollute our environment and community,” he adds.
“the ec is aware of the harmfulness of pfas”
“At our request, and following the case of 37 thousand tonnes of illegally imported and disposed international waste in Gospić, where analyses established the presence of PFAS compounds in wastewater, two weeks ago the European Parliament discussed the dangers of PFAS compounds to human health.
Colleagues across Europe recognised the danger of this situation and Commissioner Várhelyi emphasised that the Commission is aware of the harmfulness of PFAS and is ready to help Member States in the disposal of toxic waste and the fight against cross-border economic crime. I’d once again like to call on Commissioner Várhelyi, Commissioner Roswall, as well as Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to come forward as soon as possible with concrete proposals on how Member States can effectively dispose of waste contaminated with ‘forever chemicals’ and protect their citizens and nature,” he says.
