(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 01 OTT - TFA, an ultra-short-chain PFAS formed by the breakdown of pesticides and pharmaceuticals, was found in the blood of all 110 participants in a European study, with concentrations that were the highest reported in humans to date. This finding is based on the report "PFAS levels in Europeans," which was initiated by MEP Cristina Guarda and the Greens group in the European Parliament. It analysed the presence of various per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or "forever chemicals," in the blood of 110 volunteers from nine European countries, including Italy. TFA (trifluoroacetic acid) was recently classified as "toxic to reproduction" by EU agencies due to its potential to harm the foetus and possible links to impaired fertility. According to the ANSA report, the substance was found in the blood of all participants; its concentrations were four to five times higher than the combined total of the four other long-chain PFAS tested, accounting for more than 80% of the total chemical load measured in the participants' blood. "Women's health remains a major blind spot in scientific research and chemical risk assessment," says MEP Guarda, who enrolled 46 women of reproductive age in the study. "For decades, women have been excluded or under-represented in clinical and toxicological research. That is why we are calling for women's reproductive health to be systematically considered in the assessment and regulation of PFAS, all of which must be banned at the European level," she says. (ANSA).