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A new investigation by the Pesticide Action Network (PAN Europe) reveals concerning data: The concentration of the hardly degradable chemical Trifluoroacetic Acid (TFA) has drastically increased in European wines. The study titled "Message from the Bottle – The Rapid Rise of TFA Contamination Across the EU" shows that wines harvested after 2010 contain TFA in previously unknown quantities – with median values of 110 µg/l and maximum values up to 320 µg/l. This is about a hundred times more than previously measured in surface and drinking water.
In contrast, wines from before 1988 showed no traces of TFA. The data show a sharp increase in TFA contamination since 2010. PAN Europe tested a total of 49 wines (10 old, 39 current) from ten countries. In parallel, residues of up to eight pesticides were found in 94 percent of conventionally produced wines – including two PFAS fungicides (Fluopyram and Fluopicolid). While four out of five organic wines were free of measurable pesticide residues, all organic samples still contained TFA. This indicates the omnipresence of the substance.
Helmut Burtscher-Schaden, an environmental chemist at Global 2000 and initiator of the study, describes it as a double alarm signal: On the one hand, the detected concentration is alarmingly high, indicating a strong bioaccumulation of TFA in plants. On the other hand, the rapid increase since 2010 is particularly alarming: "We are likely absorbing significantly more TFA through food than previously assumed. We urgently need steps to stop further TFA emissions."
Professor Michael Müller, a pharmacist from Freiburg, independently confirms the results of the PAN study with his own analyses. He also observed a wide range of TFA concentrations (20–300 µg/l) in wines after 2020. The lowest values were found in organic wines from areas that have been farmed chemical-free for decades. He sees a clear connection to PFAS-containing pesticides.
A comparison with official data from the EU reference laboratory CVUA Stuttgart underscores the urgency: The only official EU study to date from 2017 found a median value of 50 µg/l in European wines, with peak values of 120 µg/l. These values were measured in 2025 at more than double the height.
Salome Roynel, a political advisor at PAN Europe, therefore calls for an immediate ban on all PFAS pesticides and fluorinated gases: "These substances are a direct and avoidable source of TFA contamination. In May, EU member states will vote on a ban on the PFAS pesticide Flutolanil – a groundbreaking decision for our environment, our food, and our health."
TFA is formed as a persistent degradation product of other PFAS compounds used in refrigeration systems or pesticides. According to the German Federal Environment Agency, about 76 percent of TFA groundwater contamination comes from PFAS pesticides, another 17 percent from precipitation with fluorinated gases, three percent from sewage treatment plants, and three percent from manure.
The chemical was long considered toxicologically unproblematic. However, a study conducted in 2021 showed severe malformations in rabbit fetuses. Since then, TFA has been suspected of endangering human reproduction.
Scientists describe the rapid increase of TFA in the water cycle and in the biosphere as a danger to planetary boundaries. The present study by PAN Europe underscores the urgency for a comprehensive rethink in European agricultural and chemical policy.
(ru / PAN Europe)
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