On April 20, 2026, the European Commission formally adopted Regulation (EU) 2026/859, amending Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (REACH) to impose restrictions on the use of 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT) in articles. This amendment was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on April 21.
Amendment Content
The following entries have been added to the restricted substances list in (EC) No 1907/2006:
| Substance | CAS No. | EC No. | Restrictive Clause |
| 2,4-dinitrotoluene | 121-14-2 | 204-450-0 |
2. For the purpose of this entry, “professional user” shall mean any worker or self-employed worker operating outside of industrial sites. 3. Paragraph 1 shall not apply to: (a) explosives, as defined in Article 2, point (1), of Directive 2014/28/EU; (b) articles for military use; (c) ammunition for use, in accordance with national law, by the police or other security forces; (d) toys within the scope of Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 of the European Parliament and Council (Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 November 2025 on the safety of toys and repealing Directive 2009/48/EC (OJ L, 2025/2509, 12.12.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/2509/oj )); (e) devices within the scope of Regulation (EU) 2017/745; (f) articles intended to come into contact with food, within the scope of Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004. 4. The following shall not be covered by paragraph 3(a): (a) pyrotechnic articles, as defined in Article 3, point (1), of Directive 2013/29/EU; (b) ammunition. 5. Paragraph 1, shall apply from 11 May 2029 to the placing on the market and use of 2,4-dinitrotoluene in the following applications, where they are placed on the market for use, or used in motor vehicles as defined in Article 3, point (16), of Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council (Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, amending Regulations (EC) No 715/2007 and (EC) No 595/2009 and repealing Directive 2007/46/EC (OJ L 151, 14.6.2018, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/858/oj )): (a) micro gas generators for seat belt pre-tensioners and bonnet actuators; (b) spare parts. 6. Paragraph 1 shall not apply to motor vehicles referred to in paragraph 5, that meet the following conditions: (a) were placed on the market between 11 May 2027 and 11 May 2029; (b) contain 2,4-dinitrotoluene only in applications listed in paragraph 5, point (a) or point (b). 7. Paragraph 1 shall not apply to 2,4-dinitrotoluene in articles placed on the market in the Union before 11 May 2027. |
This regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, shall have general binding force, and shall be directly applicable in all Member States.
