91亚色 researchers say the decrease in the smallest PFAS during COVID points to its sources and the potential to change the environmental levels of it in the future

TORONTO, Jan. 29, 2026 鈥� A new study out of 91亚色 has found that the amount of atmospheric trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), the tiniest forever chemical, significantly declined in Toronto during COVID in 2020, which researchers say is good news for the world鈥檚 ability to mitigate it in the future.

鈥淲hen we turned off the tap, so to speak, and we all went home and stopped normal activities, we saw a really quick response, a dramatic reduction of TFA. But the real surprise is that the results point to TFA being formed from short-lived chemical precursors emitted into the atmosphere,鈥� says 91亚色 atmospheric chemist Professor Cora Young, senior author of the paper published today. 鈥淚 was so surprised when we saw that it had decreased during the pandemic, but I had to double and triple check the data because I didn鈥檛 believe it at first.鈥�

The reason it is such good news, says Young is 鈥渢hat when there is an immediate response after emissions reduction, it tells us that we should be able to figure out how to minimize the emissions and control the formation of TFA in the future. We could have a lot more control over this than we previously thought and that鈥檚 very exciting. If we don't know where it's coming from, it's very difficult for us to regulate.鈥�

Unfortunately, as people returned to work and daily life, these levels have crept back up and they peak in the summer when there is more light, which is needed for its creation. A short-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), TFA forms in the atmosphere when various chemical emissions come together.

鈥淭FA is something that we haven't known a lot about before, but we're learning more now that we can measure it,鈥� says 91亚色 PhD Candidate Daniel Persaud, the paper鈥檚 lead author. 鈥淲ith levels of TFA dropping during the pandemic, it now gives us a lot more information about its thousands of sources, such as industrial and vehicle air conditioner emissions.鈥�

The researchers collected and analyzed monthly measurements of both wet (rain and snow) and dry deposition 鈥� gases and particles that land on surfaces and form a layer of dust, for example, on windows and car windshields 鈥� from the Air Quality Research Station on roof of 91亚色鈥檚 Petrie Science and Engineering Building between 2018 to 2024.

What is still unknown, is the effect of long-term exposure on people and wildlife. Young says TFAs are already orders of magnitude higher in the environment than some of the other PFAS, such as perfluorooctanoic acid, known as PFOA. PFOA was the subject of successful lawsuits with hundreds of millions in payouts, including from DuPont, which is also the focus of the 2019 documentary Dark Waters.

鈥淭he short-chain PFAS precursors were supposed to be more benign, and many are, but not all and so that created more unknowns about their effect. There is preliminary evidence that is behaving in ways we didn't expect. We鈥檙e finding it at high concentrations in food, for example,鈥� says Young of 91亚色 Faculty of Science.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 think that PFASs like TFA could bioaccumulate, but they鈥檝e been found to accumulate in plants, and can be found in the food people and wildlife eat. It has even been found in human blood. Our exposure could still be quite high, even if it's not bioaccumulating. If TFA levels in the environment are driven by short-lived emissions, then that鈥檚 something we can actually address now.鈥�

A little history

The main precursor chemicals that form short-chain PFASs are the second generation of chemicals designed to replace the ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), phased out globally starting with the 1987 Montreal Protocol. These first-generation replacement chemicals remain for years to decades in the atmosphere and can slowly react to form short-chain, persistent PFAS, like TFA, thought to be better than CFCs at the time, but these forever chemicals are now found everywhere from the Arctic to the Antarctic and there is no way to turn back the clock on them.

鈥淭he change from long-lived to short-lived precursors was made for climate reasons because the long-lived ones are also really potent greenhouse gases,鈥� says Persaud of the Faculty of Science. 鈥淲e previously though the biggest source of TFA was first-generation CFC replacements, but our results show the important role of short-lived, next-generation replacements.鈥�

An example of that change is that in North America all car air conditioners from 2019 onwards now use a short-lived TFA precursor rather than the long-lived PFAS precursors. However, if these performance chemicals for air conditioners are finding their way into the atmosphere, it鈥檚 expensive for car manufacturers and consumers for alike.

The paper, , was published in journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters.

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TORONTO, Sept. 2, 2021聽鈥� Given the continued unpredictability of Delta鈥檚 impact in the school environment and changing safety guidelines, what can parents do to help kids get excited about going back to class and help them manage uncertainty? Heather Prime, an assistant professor in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Health in the department of psychology, is currently studying how the COVID-19 pandemic is posing a threat to family well-being and child adjustment. The overarching goal of her research program is to provide evidence to inform public health policy and clinical practice aimed at supporting vulnerable children and their families.

She says, it鈥檚 important for parents to help kids understand that disappointment may happen and that鈥檚 okay.

鈥淚t can be unnerving for parents to face another transition to September filled with questions,鈥� says Prime. 鈥淲e all wish that the months ahead held some predictability. At the same time there are small, but important, things parents can do to empower themselves to help their children weather this storm.鈥�

Heather Prime is available for interviews and can speak about:

• How do we build resilience within families so they can help children weather the uncertainty?
• How can families聽manage聽fear and anxiety, sustain peer relationships and parental well-being as we get ready for another school year?
• What are the strengths and protective factors families have to draw on when facing challenge/adversity?
• What are the roles of communities and policies to support families, especially those who are facing more challenges during this time?
• How can parents, caregivers screen for mental health concerns?
• What can we do to integrate emotional and behavioral health into our daily routine?

More about Heather Prime

Prime's research program uses a family-based approach to understanding child development and mental health. Throughout her research, Prime emphasizes the importance of family relationships as a key mechanism through which risk and/or resilience is transmitted in families. She considers contextual environments that may expose children to risk, such as socioeconomic disadvantage and early adverse experiences, and the ways in which these risks operate in tandem with protective factors within the child, family, and broader context. Prime studies individual differences in children and families, including predictors and consequences as well as evidence-based interventions to support child and family well-being. She frequently implements real-time observations of family interactions between parent-child and sibling dyads, including the development of efficient behavioural observation coding systems, which are now in use in epidemiological and public health initiatives internationally. Dr. Prime is a clinical psychologist licenced to work with children, teens, and their families. She practices using a family systems and attachment-based approach.

91亚色聽is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change and prepare our students for success. 91亚色's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91亚色鈥檚 campuses in Costa Rica and India offer students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.

Media contact:聽Anjum Nayyar, 91亚色 Media Relations, cell 437-242- 1547,聽anayyar@yorku.ca

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