Pet Safety / Compounds / NEtFOSE (N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido ethanol)

Is NEtFOSE (N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido ethanol) safe for dogs and cats?

Elevated risk for pets

Floor-level living increases inhalation from treated carpets. Transforms to PFOS in vivo.

What is netfose (n-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido ethanol)?

The IUPAC name is N-ethyl-1,1,2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-heptadecafluoro-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)octane-1-sulfonamide.

Also known as: N-ethyl-1,1,2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-heptadecafluoro-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)octane-1-sulfonamide, N-EtFOSE, 2-perfluorooctylsulfonyl-N-ethylaminoethyl alcohol, N-EtPFOSE.

IUPAC name
N-ethyl-1,1,2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-heptadecafluoro-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)octane-1-sulfonamide
CAS number
1691-99-2
Molecular formula
C12H10F17NO3S
Molecular weight
571.25 g/mol
SMILES
CCN(CCO)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
74322

Risk for dogs

Elevated risk

Floor-level living increases inhalation from treated carpets. Transforms to PFOS in vivo.

Risk for cats

Elevated risk

Indoor cats have continuous exposure from treated furnishings. Grooming increases dermal + oral intake.

Regulatory consensus

3 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified NEtFOSE (N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido ethanol). The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
Stockholm Convention——Covered as PFOS precursor
EPA——New uses restricted under TSCA SNUR for PFOS/PFOS precursors
Canada——

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 netfose (n-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido ethanol)

  • Indoor Air — Homes with Scotchgard-treated furnishings, Offices with treated carpet
    Volatile — off-gases from treated textiles into indoor air
  • Food Packaging — Historical grease-proof food wrapping
    Used in 3M food-contact paper treatments pre-2002
  • Consumer Products — Scotchgard Fabric Protector (pre-2002), Stain-resistant carpets, Waterproof apparel
    3M's primary consumer PFAS product until voluntary phase-out in 2002

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to NEtFOSE (N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido ethanol):

  • Non-fluorinated DWR (silicone, wax, dendrimer)
    Trade-offs: Adequate water repellency for most consumer textiles. Oil/stain resistance inferior to PFAS. Requires reapplication after 10-20 washes vs 50+ for PFAS. Cost: comparable. Major brands (Patagonia, Gore-Tex) have adopted.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • C6 fluorotelomer DWR
    Trade-offs: 3M Scotchgard reformulation (post-2002). Still uses PFAS chemistry but shorter chain. Generates PFBA/PFPeA as metabolites. Better performance than non-fluorinated.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Bio-based water repellents (plant wax, chitosan)
    Trade-offs: Emerging technology. Fully biodegradable. Performance gap for technical textiles. Promising for consumer apparel. Limited commercial availability.
    Relative cost: 2-5× conventional

Frequently asked questions

Is netfose (n-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido ethanol) safe for pets?

Floor-level living increases inhalation from treated carpets. Transforms to PFOS in vivo.

What products contain netfose (n-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido ethanol)?

NEtFOSE (N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido ethanol) appears in: Homes with Scotchgard-treated furnishings (indoor air); Offices with treated carpet (indoor air); Historical grease-proof food wrapping (food packaging); Scotchgard Fabric Protector (pre-2002) (consumer products); Stain-resistant carpets (consumer products).

See NEtFOSE (N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido ethanol) in the pets app

Look up products containing netfose (n-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido ethanol), 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 →