On August 3, 2020, the European Commission (EC) passed Regulation (EU) 2020/1149 that will amend the EU’s REACH regulation to restrict the use and placing on the market of diisocyanates. The substances are widely used in the production of foams, sealants, and coatings, and multiple diisocyanates are also included in Annex I of the EU’s plastic food contact material (FCM) regulation (No. 10/2011; i.e. Union List) as well as in the FACET inventory of food contact materials. They are defined in the regulation as chemicals having the molecular structure “O=C=N-R-N=C=O, with R an aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon unit of unspecified length.” After August 24, 2023, diisocyanates “shall not be used as substances on their own, as a constituent in other substances or in mixtures for industrial and professional use(s)” unless (i) the concentration of diisocyanates is less than 0.1% by weight or (ii) industrial or professional users have completed training on the safe handling of diisocyanates prior to their use. The substances were originally planned for restriction by the EC in September 2019 (FPF reported).
Read More
Chemical Watch (August 5, 2020). “EU Commission adopts REACH diisocyanates restriction.”
Reference
