Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), the most widespread forever chemical, not only contaminates European tap water but is also present in wine, at much higher concentration levels. The main suspected cause is pesticides using per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), whose active molecules break down to create TFA. Even more concerning, since the 2000s, TFA levels in wine have been increasing at an alarming rate, following a curve that indicates exponential growth on all aspects. These are the main findings of a study released on Wednesday, April 23, by the Europe branch of the Pesticide Action Network (PAN).

Across the 49 bottles the organization tested – including red, white, and rosé wines from 10 European Union countries – all of the vintages harvested after 1988 contained TFA, while none of the older vintages (from 1972, 1979, and 1982) contained detectable traces of the chemical. From 1988 to 2015, TFA concentration levels increased from 13 micrograms per liter (µg/l) to 40 µg/l. After this period, the increase then became very pronounced: The 39 vintages in the sample that were harvested from 2021 to 2024 contained an average TFA concentration of 122 µg/l.

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