On 21 April 2026 the EU published Commission Regulation (EU) 2026/859, adding 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT) as a new entry to REACH Annex XVII. The restriction prohibits placing on the market or using articles that contain the substance at a concentration of 0.1% or more by weight, for both consumer and professional uses, and applies from 10 May 2027 with certain derogations. 2,4-DNT is a category 1B carcinogen and a nitroaromatic intermediate in the toluene-diisocyanate (TDI) value chain.
2,4-DNT is best known as a precursor in explosives, dyes and pigments, but it is also a nitroaromatic compound that sits in the chemistry behind toluene diisocyanate, the isocyanate used in flexible polyurethane foams. The new restriction does not target TDI production directly; it limits the substance in finished articles placed on the EU market. But it is a clear marker of the regulatory direction of travel around nitroaromatics relevant to the wider isocyanate value chain.
The substance was already on REACH's authorisation list (Annex XIV) back in 2015, but those requirements did not capture imported articles, a gap that allowed products made outside the EU to keep entering the market. Moving the control into Annex XVII as a restriction closes that loophole by applying the 0.1%-by-weight threshold to articles regardless of where they were manufactured.
For polyurethane producers and importers the practical takeaway is to treat this as part of a steady tightening of EU chemical regulation rather than an isolated event. Substance restrictions, diisocyanate handling-training rules and broader SVHC scrutiny all point the same way, and the companies that track this calendar and confirm requirements against the official EUR-Lex text are best placed to keep products compliant ahead of the May 2027 application date.