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PreprintCC BYChemRxiv

Increasing Trifluoroacetic Acid Concentration in Austrian Groundwater and Its Associations with Agricultural Indicators

  • Helmut Burtscher-Schaden1
  • Thilo Hofmann2,3
  • Angeliki Lyssimachou4
  • Mattias Öberg5,6
  • Hans Peter H. Arp7,8
8 affiliations
  1. 1GLOBAL 2000 – Friends of the Earth Austria
  2. 2Department of Environmental Geosciences
  3. 3University of Vienna
  4. 4Pesticide Action Network Europe
  5. 5Institute of Environmental Medicine
  6. 6Karolinska Institutet
  7. 7Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI, P.O. Box 3930, Oslo, Norway, NO-0806
  8. 8NorwegianUniversityofScienceandTechnology(NTNU),DepartmentofChemistry
Open at sourceDOICite

Abstract

Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is an extremely persistent and highly mobile substance that is accumulating in the environment as a result of continued emissions from diverse sources. Yet time trend data for TFA in groundwater remain scarce, despite growing concern about TFA as a persistent groundwater contaminant. We analyzed temporal trends in official Austrian monitoring data from 2018–2019 and 2024, comprising 98 baseline sites and 107 sites in 2024, including 16 sites sampled in both periods. TFA increased at all paired sites; mean concentrations rose from 1.36 to 2.86 µg/L (+110%) and median concentrations from 1.01 to 2.05 µg/L (+103%). Across the complete, largely non-paired datasets, mean concentrations were 0.78 and 2.42 µg/L and median concentrations were 0.39 and 1.40 µg/L, respectively. This comparison supports the hypothesis of a broader upward shift in TFA groundwater concentration on a national scale. To assess agriculture as a possible source, we tested associations with agricultural contamination indicators. TFA was associated with nitrate and pesticide burden, but not with other monitored PFAS. This supports an agricultural contribution in the most impacted regions. Given TFA's persistence and limited removal by conventional water treatment, limiting further emissions from TFA-forming pesticides and other sources, such as fluorinated gases, is important to prevent further accumulation.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@misc{burtscherschaden2026increasing,
  title = {{Increasing Trifluoroacetic Acid Concentration in Austrian Groundwater and Its Associations with Agricultural Indicators}},
  author = {Helmut Burtscher-Schaden and Thilo Hofmann and Angeliki Lyssimachou and Mattias Öberg and Hans Peter H. Arp},
  howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15008752/v1},
  url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008752/v1},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - UNPB
TI  - Increasing Trifluoroacetic Acid Concentration in Austrian Groundwater and Its Associations with Agricultural Indicators
AU  - Helmut Burtscher-Schaden
AU  - Thilo Hofmann
AU  - Angeliki Lyssimachou
AU  - Mattias Öberg
AU  - Hans Peter H. Arp
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/14
PB  - ChemRxiv
DO  - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15008752/v1
UR  - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008752/v1
AB  - Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is an extremely persistent and highly mobile substance that is accumulating in the environment as a result of continued emissions from diverse sources. Yet time trend data for TFA in groundwater remain scarce, despite growing concern about TFA as a persistent groundwater contaminant. We analyzed temporal trends in official Austrian monitoring data from 2018–2019 and 2024, comprising 98 baseline sites and 107 sites in 2024, including 16 sites sampled in both periods. TFA increased at all paired sites; mean concentrations rose from 1.36 to 2.86 µg/L (+110%) and median concentrations from 1.01 to 2.05 µg/L (+103%). Across the complete, largely non-paired datasets, mean concentrations were 0.78 and 2.42 µg/L and median concentrations were 0.39 and 1.40 µg/L, respectively. This comparison supports the hypothesis of a broader upward shift in TFA groundwater concentration on a national scale. To assess agriculture as a possible source, we tested associations with agricultural contamination indicators. TFA was associated with nitrate and pesticide burden, but not with other monitored PFAS. This supports an agricultural contribution in the most impacted regions. Given TFA's persistence and limited removal by conventional water treatment, limiting further emissions from TFA-forming pesticides and other sources, such as fluorinated gases, is important to prevent further accumulation.
ER  -