E & E News: You’ve probably never heard of this ‘forever chemical.” Scientists say it is everywhere.
Journalist: Miranda Wilson
Date: September 12, 2024
As cities and towns plan to remove several harmful “forever chemicals” from drinking water, scientists are starting to focus on a less-studied version of the chemicals that is showing up virtually everywhere they look.
Trifluoroacetic acid, or TFA, could be one of the most widespread forever chemicals in the environment, according to a growing body of research. While there’s no consensus on its effects on human health, TFA does not break down naturally, and its similarity to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) tied to cancer and other diseases is enough to warrant further study, researchers said.
“It’s absolutely everywhere,” said Sarah Hale, an environmental researcher who manages ZeroPM, a project funded by the European Union. “TFA will be the next discussion in America, I can guarantee it. It will be about how should we treat it and what should we do.”
The attention on TFA underscores the game of whack-a-mole that scientists and communities face with forever chemicals. With thousands of identified versions of the substances, the chemicals are practically ubiquitous in the global economy, and researchers are still determining the exact health risks associated with many of them.
But TFA could pose a particularly difficult problem down the line, due to how much it would cost to take it out of drinking water, experts say.
The substance is extremely small, mobile and water soluble. As a result, it cannot be removed from water using the filtration systems that many communities are installing now for large, widely studied forever chemicals, said Rainer Lohmann, a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island.
“All the filters we have right now don’t work on TFA,” said Lohmann, whose research includes water pollutants. “If we ever reach the conclusion that it might be of concern, then of course removing it from drinking water is going to be extremely painful and expensive.”
0
