Trifluoroacetic acid in ancient freshwater

Substantial concentrations (typically 10-100 ng/l) of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) have been reported in contemporary saltwater and freshwater. It is we ll established that TFA is produced as the result of industrial activities. It is unclear whether there are any significant natural sources of this co mpound. To provide insight into the likely magnitude of possible natural so urces of TFA we collected five samples of pre-industrial (> 2000 year old) freshwater from Greenland and Denmark; there was no detectable TFA (< 2 ng/ l) in any of these samples. The available data suggest that TFA is not a na turally occurring trace component of the freshwater environment. (C) 2001 E lsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.