Pet Safety / Compounds / N-EtFOSAA (N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid)

Is N-EtFOSAA (N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid) safe for dogs and cats?

Moderate risk for pets

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Exposure via treated textiles and contaminated water.

What is n-etfosaa (n-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid)?

The IUPAC name is 2-[ethyl(1,1,2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-heptadecafluorooctylsulfonyl)amino]acetic acid.

Also known as: 2991-50-6, N-ETHYL-N-[(HEPTADECAFLUOROOCTYL)SULPHONYL]GLYCINE, 2-(N-Ethylperfluorooctanesulfonamido)acetic acid, EINECS 221-061-1.

IUPAC name
2-[ethyl(1,1,2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-heptadecafluorooctylsulfonyl)amino]acetic acid
CAS number
2991-50-6
Molecular formula
C12H8F17NO4S
Molecular weight
585.24 g/mol
SMILES
CCN(CC(=O)O)S(=O)(=O)C(C(C(C(C(C(C(C(F)(F)F)(F)F)(F)F)(F)F)(F)F)(F)F)(F)F)(F)F
PubChem CID
18134

Risk for dogs

Moderate risk

Exposure via treated textiles and contaminated water.

Risk for cats

Moderate risk

Indoor cats exposed via treated furnishing dust.

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified N-EtFOSAA (N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid). The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA—UCMR5 monitoring listmonitored
CDC/ATSDR—NHANES PFAS biomonitoring panelmonitored

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where pets encounter n-etfosaa (n-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid)

  • Human Biomonitoring — NHANES blood samples, Occupational exposure studies in fluorochemical workers
    Detected in general US population, higher in fluorochemical workers
  • Consumer Products — Historical Scotchgard fabric protector, Stain-resistant treatments
    Metabolite of N-EtFOSE used in 3M consumer products pre-2002

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to N-EtFOSAA (N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid):

  • Non-fluorinated fabric protectors (silicone-based, plant-based)
    Trade-offs: Functional performance and cost-effectiveness may vary by application.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is n-etfosaa (n-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid) safe for pets?

Exposure via treated textiles and contaminated water.

What products contain n-etfosaa (n-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid)?

N-EtFOSAA (N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid) appears in: NHANES blood samples (human biomonitoring); Occupational exposure studies in fluorochemical workers (human biomonitoring); Historical Scotchgard fabric protector (consumer products); Stain-resistant treatments (consumer products).

Why do regulators disagree about n-etfosaa (n-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid)?

N-EtFOSAA (N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid) has been classified by 2 agencies including EPA, CDC/ATSDR, with differing conclusions. Regulators apply different standards of evidence (animal data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds), which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. See the regulatory consensus table on this page for the full picture.

See N-EtFOSAA (N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid) in the pets app

Look up products containing n-etfosaa (n-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid), compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in pets View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. — expert_curation

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →