Environmental Risk Assessment of Trifluoroacetic Acid

Abstract

The Montreal Protocol was developed in 1987 in response to concerns that the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were releasing chlorine into the stratosphere and that this chlorine was causing a depletion of stratospheric ozone over Antarctica. This international agreement called for a phase out of these CFCs. Industry initiated a major effort to find replacements that are safe when properly used and safe to the environment. The toxicology and environmental fate of these first generation replacements has been studied extensively. It was determined that the new substances break down in the environment to give predominantly carbon dioxide, water and inorganic salts of chlorine and fluorine. The only exception is that some substances also break down to yield trifluoroacetic acid (HTFA), a substance resistant to further degradation. Recognizing this, industry embarked on a research and assessment program to study the potential effects of trifluoroacetate (TFA) on the environment and to investigate possible degradatio...