The European Union's food safety agency has sharply lowered the amount of trifluoroacetic acid, or TFA, that it considers safe for people to consume each day, signaling growing concern about a substance tied to the broader family of "forever chemicals."
What happened?
According to a report from Euronews shared by Yahoo, the European Food Safety Authority reduced TFA's acceptable daily intake to 0.00000049 ounces per 2.2 pounds (0.014 milligrams per kilogram) of body weight per day, down from 0.0000018 ounces per 2.2 pounds (0.05 milligrams per kilogram).
TFA is part of the PFAS family, chemicals often referred to as "forever chemicals" because they linger in the environment for long periods.
The agency said TFA can form when some PFAS substances break down — including certain active substances in pesticides — and may then move into groundwater, soil, and food crops.
Euronews reported that PFAS chemicals are used in common kitchenware, medical devices, and agricultural sprays, but they can have long-term risks to people and the environment.
The outlet reported that TFA has been detected widely in drinking water, and EFSA said the new guidance follows a review of more recent evidence about how the chemical affects the body, including the thyroid system.
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The change does not ban TFA outright, but it does reset the benchmark regulators use to determine what level of daily exposure is considered acceptable.
Why does it matter?
When a major food safety agency lowers an intake threshold, it influences how governments monitor water, how utilities communicate possible risks, and how policymakers approach cleanup efforts and chemical regulation.
PFAS contamination has become a growing concern because these substances do not break down easily and can move through ecosystems over time. Along with possible human health concerns, they have also raised alarms for wildlife and the broader environment.
The update reflects shifting health guidance as scientists gather stronger evidence.
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EU countries already have to monitor PFAS in drinking water, while separate programs track those chemicals in food. That existing system gives regulators a way to compare contamination data with the tighter intake guidance.
EFSA also said it is continuing work with the European Chemicals Agency on how PFAS break down into TFA and on the chemical's behavior in soil and water. The agencies expect to complete that work by next summer, Euronews reported.
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