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

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——
CDC/ATSDR——

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).

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.

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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 →