NEW STUDY CONFIRMS TFA FROM HFO-1234yf HAS NEGLIGIBLE ECOLOGICAL AND HUMAN HEALTH IMPACT

An important new study [1] investigated trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) formation from emissions of HFO-1234yf, its dry and wet deposition, and rainwater concentration over India, China, and the Middle East. It concludes that the ecological and human health impacts now and from continued use of HFO-1234yf in India, China, and the Middle East are estimated to be insignificant.

The study adds to the global knowledge base for the most populated and high economic growth regions in the world with published papers focused on HFO-1234yf use in the US, Europe, and China. The study confirms their conclusion of the negligible impact of TFA formation during the atmospheric oxidation of HFO-1234yf. In addition, the study method demonstrated consistency with these previous papers by calculating TFA amounts over the USA, Europe, and China that were comparable. It also applied the methodology to global emissions to assess interregional effects on TFA deposition to ensure that its conclusions are robust.

The study estimated the TFA deposition and rainwater concentrations between 2020 and 2040 for four previously published HFO-1234yf emission scenarios, including a maximum emission scenario, to encompass the possible levels of TFA. The mean and the extremes of TFA rainwater concentrations calculated for the four emission scenarios were orders of magnitude below the no observable effect concentration.

 

See also

globalFACT » TFA from HFO-1234yf has negligible impact on human and ecosystem health

and ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ASSESSMENT PANEL ISSUES COMPREHENSIVE SUMMARY OF TFA EFFECTS - Fluorocarbons

 

Reference

[1] Trifluoroacetic acid deposition from emissions 1 of HFO-1234yf in India, China, and the Middle East, Liji M. David, Mary Barth, Lena Höglund-Isaksson, Pallav Purohit, Guus J. M. Velders, Sam Glaser, and A. R. Ravishankara, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 21, 14833–14849, 2021. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14833-2021