ST. PAUL, Minn. - Ecolab Inc. ranked 10th on the 2004 "100 Best Corporate Citizens" as named by Business Ethics magazine. In addition, Ecolab is one of only 29 companies to be recognized for five consecutive years on the list, which was published in the Spring 2004 edition of Business Ethics. Last year, Ecolab was ranked 24th overall. "It is an honor to be included on such an elite list that applauds corporate integrity and good citizenship," stated Ecolab Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Allan L. Schuman. "Integrity is a key component of Ecolab's culture, which is a focus for all of our associates. It is something each of us lives every day at Ecolab as we work to ensure we operate in the most ethical manner in all our activities, and this is wonderful recognition of what we have accomplished."

Business Ethics measures companies' service to a variety of stakeholders, including stockholders, community, minorities and women, employees, the environment, non-U.S. stakeholders and customers. Using social research compiled by Boston-based KLD Research & Analytics, Business Ethics aims to recognize corporate citizens that "serve all constituents well." Companies measured include the Russell 1000, which are the 1,000 largest publicly traded U.S. companies, as well as the 150 firms on the socially screened Domini Index.

With sales of $3.8 billion, Ecolab is the leading global developer and marketer of premium cleaning, sanitizing, pest elimination, maintenance and repair products and services for the hospitality, foodservice, institutional and industrial markets.

Ecolab shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ECL. Ecolab news releases and other investor information are available on the Internet at http://www.ecolab.com.

Ecolab Inc.

Ecolab Inc.

A trusted partner at nearly three million customer locations, Ecolab (ECL) is the global leader in water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services that help protect people, planet and business health. With annual sales of $13 billion and more than 47,000 associates, Ecolab delivers comprehensive science-based solutions, data-driven insights and world-class service to advance food safety, help maintain clean and safe environments, optimize water and energy use, and improve operational efficiencies and sustainability for customers in the food, healthcare, hospitality and industrial markets in more than 170 countries around the world. www.ecolab.com

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