REACH: after 10 May 2027, 2,4-dinitrotoluene in articles for consumers and professionals only below 0.1% by weight — new entry 83 of Annex XVII
Commission Regulation (EU) 2026/859 of 20 April 2026, published on 21 April, adds entry 83 to REACH Annex XVII: after 10 May 2027, 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT, CAS 121-14-2) may not be placed on the market or used in articles for the general public or professional users at a concentration of 0.1% by weight or more. It is a category 1B carcinogen for which no DNEL can be derived.
- The ECHA dossier identified current or past uses of 2,4-DNT in, among others, refractory products, airbags, seat-belt pretensioners, plastic bottles for sampling in industrial settings and propellants for ammunition; the database on substances in products also pointed to vehicles, ceramic articles and electronic devices. The authorisation requirement of Annex XIV does not apply to imported articles, which is why the restriction targets articles.
- Exemptions: explosives as defined in Directive 2014/28/EU (but not pyrotechnic articles or ammunition), articles for military use, ammunition for police and other security forces, toys, medical devices and food contact materials. A “professional user” is any worker or self-employed worker operating outside industrial sites.
- For micro gas generators in seat-belt pretensioners and bonnet actuators and for spare parts for motor vehicles, the restriction applies from 11 May 2029; vehicles placed on the market between 11 May 2027 and 11 May 2029 containing 2,4-DNT only in those uses are exempt. The restriction also does not apply to articles placed on the EU market before 11 May 2027.
- According to the dossier, the 0.1% by weight threshold is meant to prevent intentional addition of 2,4-DNT to articles in the EU and to hold imported articles to the same standard. In its notice of 30 April 2026 SGS recalls that the EU notified the draft restriction to the WTO in 2025 and also lists the production of toluene diisocyanate for polyurethane foams among 2,4-DNT uses.
Source: Rozporządzenie Komisji (UE) 2026/859 z dnia 20 kwietnia 2026 r. (Dz.U. L 2026/859, 21.4.2026)