Europe · Draft / Proposal

ECHA’s Risk Assessment Committee has adopted an opinion classifying trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and its salts as PMT or vPvM substances under the EU CLP Regulation.

Substances in Scope

Chemical Substance
Trifluoroacetic Acid (TFA)
Persistent degradation product associated with certain fluorinated chemicals and refrigerants.

Related Substances
TFA Salts
Included in the RAC opinion for classification as PMT or vPvM substances.

Hazard Classification
PMT
Persistent, Mobile and Toxic substance classification under the EU CLP Regulation.

Hazard Classification
vPvM
Very Persistent and very Mobile substance classification under the EU CLP Regulation.

At its 77th meeting, ECHA’s Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) finalized an opinion classifying trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and its salts as PMT (Persistent, Mobile, Toxic) or vPvM (very Persistent, very Mobile) substances under the EU Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008. The RAC-77 final minutes were published June 5, 2026. TFA is a persistent degradation product associated with certain fluorinated chemicals and refrigerants; this classification signals increased regulatory scrutiny and could feed into future REACH restriction or authorization proposals.

Key Dates & Compliance Timeline

  • Official Publish/Release Date: June 5, 2026 (RAC-77 final meeting minutes published)
  • Current Status: RAC opinion adopted under the EU CLP Regulation.
  • Potential Next Step: May support future REACH restriction or authorization proposals.

What’s New

  • First formal RAC classification of TFA and its salts as PMT/vPvM.
  • No prior EU-wide hazard classification of this type existed for TFA.
  • Signals increased regulatory scrutiny of TFA and related substances.
  • May influence future REACH regulatory actions.

Who Is Affected

  • Manufacturers and users of TFA and TFA-precursor substances.
  • Refrigerant and coolant suppliers.
  • Fluoropolymer manufacturers.
  • Fluorochemical manufacturers supplying automotive applications.

What Companies Should Do

  • Track TFA content in refrigerants, coolants, and fluorochemical inputs used in vehicle systems.
  • Monitor for follow-on REACH restriction or authorization proposals building on this PMT/vPvM classification.
Key Takeaway

This medium-priority update affects automotive OEMs and suppliers with operations or sales exposure in Europe. Compliance and product stewardship teams should review applicability against current BOMs and supply agreements, and note the compliance dates above.

Reference:

ECHA – RAC-77 Final Meeting Minutes

 

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