A new report has revealed a sharp increase in the levels of the forever chemical, TFA, in European wine.

The joint NGO report, led by Austrian NGO, Global 2000, analysed levels of TFA in wines from ten EU countries.

TFA is one of the smallest PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) chemicals, causing it to be very mobile in the environment. The main source of TFA is mostly from the breakdown of pesticides that contain PFAS and F-gases (a type of fluorinated gas commonly used in cooling fluids in refrigeration and air conditioning).

Human exposure is still not well understood, but studies have detected TFA in human blood. German authorities have proposed to the European chemical agency that TFA should be classified as toxic to reproduction.

49 wine samples from the EU countries were analysed: 10 ‘old’ wines, from before the main sources of TFA came into use, and 39 ‘recent’ wines, after they came into use.

No TFA could be detected in the old wines harvested before 1988; there was a moderate increase in TFA in wines harvested between 1988 and 2010, and a sharp increase from 2010 to 2024.

Wines with higher levels of TFA also contained a greater number and amount of pesticide residues. The report states that these findings suggest PFAS pesticides are the primary source of TFA contamination.

The study’s authors call for an immediate ban on PFAS pesticides and F-gases, a comprehensive monitoring programme for TFA in food products, and a precautionary approach to PFAS pollution.

CHEM Trust supports the proposed EU ban on the production and use of PFAS chemicals.

Read more on PFAS here.

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