In 2009, when the EU finalized its Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulations, to limit the use of a range of hazardous materials in consumer products, the included some exemptions, including one (#39) that allowed the use of cadmium in quantum dots for display applications.
The exception was supposed to have lasted only 2 years, but now, finally after 16 years, it is finally being removed - in fact the exemption expired on November 21, 2025. From now on, any display sold in the EU market must respect the regular cadmium limit of 0.01% by weight (100 ppm).
There is a remaining cadmium QD exemption called Exemption 39(b), that discusses on‑chip QD color conversion which is limited by strict per chip and per device cadmium caps and will expire at the end of 2027.