On 2nd June 2025, the European Commission published Regulation (EU) 2025/1090, introducing new REACH restrictions targeting the use and market placement of N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC) and 1-ethylpyrrolidin-2-one (NEP). These solvents, widely used in various industrial applications, pose significant health risks, especially with long-term exposure. To reduce these risks, the regulation sets strict exposure limits and operational conditions. After a thorough assessment, the European Chemicals Agency and the European Commission found that current measures fail to adequately protect workers’ health. For a summary of this regulation, you can also read our LinkedIn post published shortly after its release.

Implementation Timeline

The EU REACH restriction on DMAC and NEP will take effect on 23 December 2026. Specifically, the regulation bans the use, manufacture, and market placement of these solvents in concentrations of 0.3% or higher unless certain conditions apply. However, the man-made fibre production sector benefits from an extended transition period until 23 June 2029, allowing more time to adopt safer but more costly risk reduction technologies.

Specific Exposure Limits and Safety Conditions

The new REACH restriction defines clear derived no-effect levels (DNELs) to control worker exposure. For DMAC, the DNEL for long-term inhalation exposure is 13 mg/m³, while for long-term dermal exposure, it is 1.8 mg/kg body weight per day. In comparison, NEP’s DNEL stands at 4 mg/m³ for inhalation and 2.4 mg/kg body weight per day for dermal exposure.

Manufacturers and downstream users must include these DNELs in their chemical safety reports and safety data sheets (SDS). Furthermore, they are required to apply suitable risk management measures and operational conditions. These include installing local exhaust ventilation and other technologies to ensure inhalation exposure remains below the specified limits.