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

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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—PFOS-related substanceslisted — Covered as PFOS precursor
EPA—TSCA Significant New Use Rule (SNUR)restricted — New uses restricted under TSCA SNUR for PFOS/PFOS precursors
Canada—CEPA Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substancesrestricted

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).

Why do regulators disagree about netfose (n-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido ethanol)?

NEtFOSE (N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido ethanol) has been classified by 3 agencies including Stockholm Convention, EPA, Canada, 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 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.

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 →