Dow Introduces GREAT STUFF™ Fireblock Insulating Foam Sealant To Resist The Passage Of Flame And Smoke In Homes

Marietta, GA - July 30, 2008

GREAT STUFF™ Fireblock Insulating Foam Sealant is used to resist the passage of flame and smoke in homes by sealing service penetrations between floors and electrical runs through stud walls. An approved fireblocking material, the foam is recognizable to building code officials and can be distinguished from non-fireblock foams though its identifiable orange color.

GREAT STUFF™ Fireblock Insulating Foam Sealant forms an effective smoke and fire barrier between stories and within the wall cavity. Sealing spaces around pipes, cables and conduits will reduce the rate of fire spread through concealed draft openings.

The Dow Chemical Company today introduced GREAT STUFF™ Fireblock Insulating Foam Sealant. The distinctive orange foam is used to resist the passage of flame and smoke by sealing service penetrations between floors and electrical runs through stud walls in residential construction. The company developed GREAT STUFF Fireblock because fire protection is such an important element for every home. Fire killed more Americans than all natural disasters combined in 2006, according to the National Fire Protection Association. And 81 percent of all civilian fire deaths occurred in residences.

GREAT STUFF™ Fireblock is an approved fireblocking material. The 2006 International Residential Code identified fireblocking materials as approved materials to resist the free passage of flame to other areas of the building. Tested in accordance with standard methods for fire tests -- ASTM E84, ASTM E814 (modified), and UL 1715, the product meets the relevant code requirements. The foam is recognizable to building code officials and can be distinguished from non-fireblock foams though its identifiable orange color.

"GREAT STUFF™ Fireblock Insulating Foam Sealant provides an added layer of protection for you and your family in the event of a home fire," said Jeff Fancher, Marketing Manager, Repair and Remodel for Dow Building Solutions. "In cutting off all concealed draft openings (both vertical and horizontal), our insulating foam sealant forms an effective smoke and fire barrier between stories, between the top story and the attic, and in electrical runs through stud walls."

In current residential construction, thanks to ehanced fire and building safety codes, homes are built to contain a fire, keeping it from reaching new areas of the building and new fuel sources. The problem occurs when holes are drilled in wood fireblocks to run wires, pipes and mechanical items. Sealing spaces around pipes, cables and conduits will reduce the rate of fire spread through these openings from one level of a home to another and within the wall cavity.

In wood-frame construction, fireblocking should be provided in the following locations:

• Penetrations in the stud walls and partitions at the ceiling and floor level;
• Interconnections between concealed spaces that occur at soffits, drop or cove ceilings;
• Concealed spaces between stair stringers at the top and bottom of run;
• Openings around vents, pipes and ducts occurring at ceiling or floor level; and
• Cornices of a two-family dwelling at the line of dwelling separation.

GREAT STUFF™ Fireblock Insulating Foam Sealant is available at home improvement stores.

About Dow

More information about GREAT STUFF™ Fireblock is available at the Dow web site at http://www.greatstuff.dow.com.

®™^* Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow") or an affiliated company of Dow

Editorial Information:

Janet Hansen
The Dow Chemical Company
(678) 269-1246

Lindsay Vaughn
Brunner Inc.
(404) 479-2239
lvaughn@brunnerworks.com