COLUMBIA, Maryland, September 26, 2000 - W.R. Grace & Co. (NYSE: GRA) is pleased with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's announcement late Friday that there are no asbestos-related air quality problems in Libby, Montana.

From 1963 to 1990, Grace operated a vermiculite mine in which tremolite asbestos was an associated mineral. In response to newspaper articles about the number of people with asbestos-related disease in Libby, the EPA began a study to determine whether Grace's now closed operations pose an on-going health hazard to people who live there.

"Given that asbestos must be inhaled in large quantities over a long period of time to be dangerous, this finding of clean air in Libby is very significant," said Bill Corcoran, Grace's vice president of public and regulatory affairs. "We are also pleased with the results to-date of the in-home testing, which shows that the air in Libby homes is no different from the air found in homes throughout the country."

Paul Peronard, the EPA's on-scene coordinator, released the latest results from air monitoring and in-home testing during a three-day conference in Libby to discuss asbestos and the government's role there.

Peronard reported that he had discovered only trace amounts of asbestos in both air and dust samples taken from 119 homes in and around Libby and, under the government's current risk assessment program, there is no risk to the people who live in those homes.

Grace is a leading global supplier of catalysts and silica products, specialty construction chemicals and building materials, and container products. With annual sales of approximately $1.5 billion, Grace has over 6,000 employees and operations in nearly 40 countries. For more information, visit Grace's Web site at www.grace.com.