Highlights
What is the main finding?
- Trifluoracetic acid (TFA) shows distinct chemical features that deviate from classical perfluorinated substances (PFAS) but is increasingly recognized as an ecologically and medically relevant environmental pollutant.
- Current knowledge supports the view that monitoring and regulatory consideration need to be adapted to include TFA as a water soluble but persistent pollutant.
Abstract
Among the well-known category of perfluorinated substances (PFAS), trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) has received less scientific attention for a long time, mainly due to chemical properties that deviate from classical persistent pollutants. In recent years, mounting evidence has emerged that demonstrates environmental persistence and widespread as well as growing distribution of TFA in combination with specific effects relevant for human health. The new scientific view on TFA represents a challenge to regulatory authorities, as it requires new considerations that cannot be directly derived from classical PFAS. In this narrative review we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of established and currently evolving aspects of TFA as a pollutant that just entered the main stage of environmental science and toxicology. Overall, this review highlights the relevance of TFA as a persistent environmental pollutant despite its physicochemical differences from classical PFAS and calls for appropriate recognition by regulatory authorities and in public awareness.