October the 9th, 2026 – The EU is seeking much stricter classification of the toxic compound discovered in the blood of Croatian subjects.
The European Chemicals Agency has announced that its Committee for Risk Assessment recommends that trifluoroacetic acid, known as TFA, and its inorganic salts be classified as substances toxic to reproduction. Index reports that this is one of the concerning PFAS compounds that was recently found in the blood of all 110 participants in a study conducted by the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament. Among the test subjects were ten people from Croatia, from Gospić, Knin and Pula.
It is important to emphasise that ECHA has not yet adopted a final, legally binding ban or classification. The Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) adopted an expert opinion and sent it to the European Commission, which still has to decide whether to introduce such a classification into European legislation.
what is being sought?
RAC recommends that TFA and its inorganic salts be classified in category 1B for adverse effects on development and in category 2 for adverse effects on sexual function and fertility. Their classification as persistent, mobile and toxic substances (PMT) and as very persistent and very mobile substances (vPvM) has also been recommended. This means that they are difficult to break down, move easily through soil and water, and can pollute water resources over a long period. Such a classification does not mean that every measured amount of TFA will automatically cause a health problem in humans. It indicates the hazardous properties of the substance itself, while the actual health risk also depends on the level and duration of exposure.
tfa was discovered in the blood of all 100 subjects
The Greens/EFA study covered 110 volunteers from nine European countries. TFA was detected in the blood of all participants. The authors of the study emphasise that this is an exploratory study that is not representative of the population of individual countries and that the results should be interpreted with caution. There is currently also no appropriate health reference value for the concentration of TFA in blood serum on the basis of which it could be concluded from the finding alone that an individual is health-endangered. In the Croatian part of the testing, ten people from Gospić, Knin and Pula participated, who travelled to Brussels for testing organised by Možemo! MEP Gordan Bosanac.
should the ec react more quickly?
After ECHA’s announcement, Bosanac called on the European Commission to speed up the procedure. “I welcome this decision of the European Chemicals Agency, which comes a few days after our study showed that TFA is present in the blood of European Union citizens,” he said. He announced that together with Greens/EFA MEPs he will demand that the Commission react within the next three to six months, instead of the procedure, as he claims, being stretched out until the end of the decade. Bosanac had earlier also requested a broader restriction of PFAS compounds, the gradual phase-out of their production and use, and European funds for more extensive population testing.
ECHA’s expert opinion is now with the European Commission. If the Commission, after consultations with Member States and other interested parties, accepts the recommendation, TFA and its salts would receive a harmonised and legally binding classification at EU level. Such a decision could then trigger additional restrictions under European chemicals regulations and other sectoral laws.
