Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2000 14:02:32 +1200

-----Original Message-----

From: USSW Date: Wednesday, 18 February 1998 08:29

Subject: DowCorning Announces New $4.4 Billion Plan;

Contact:

T. Michael Jackson (517) 496-6443

Kevin M. Wiggins (517) 496-8835

Date:

February 17, 1998

DowCorning Announces New $4.4 Billion Plan;

Breast Implant Settlement Fund Increased to $3 Billion

Women with Silicone Breast Implants Have More Than 15 Settlement Choices

Midland, MI (February 17, 1998) Dow Corning today announced a new $4.4 billion settlement plan, with $3 billion targeted primarily at resolving breast implant claims. Significant improvements in the new plan were ased primarily on feedback received directly from women with implants. $1.4 billion of the $4.4 billion will be used to satisfy commercial claims.

The new plan offers women more than 15 different settlement choices with payments ranging from $1,000 to $200,000 - or more for women who have uninsured medical bills that exceed their settlement payment – available over the 16 years of the settlement program. The increased settlement choices let women customize their settlement by selecting the option best suited to their individual needs, msaid Gary E. Anderson, president of Dowm Corning Corporation. The new plan also greatly expands the protection for women who might want to file claims through the year 2014, providing them with the same fundamental settlement options as those filing claims today.

More than 15 settlement choices, with expanded options for claims related to medical conditions or symptoms valued at $5,000, $10,000, $20,000, $50,000, $110,000 and $200,000, depending on the level of severity and disability. Expanded payment for implants that have been found ruptured following removal surgery, valued at $15,000, $30,000 or $50,000, depending on the complexity of the rupture. A simplified process allowing women who already filed claims in the previous global settlement to submit the same documentation. Expanded future protection. Payments for claims filed at any time in the 16 year program will be the same as payments for claims filed immediately. Future flexibility that allows women who qualify initially for certain settlement options valued at less than $50,000 to refile a claim in the future if they can document a changed medical condition eligible for up to a $50,000 settlement. A Medical Procedures Program that covers the future costs for women who elect to have their implants removed and, if they choose, to have breast reconstruction. This program is available to women in Canada, and elsewhere outside the U.S., who are willing to travel to the U.S. to participate in the program. This includes a $1,000 payment that can be used for travel, child care, or replacementimplants. An "extraordinary" claims

fund providing additional funding for women's uninsured medical bills should they exceed the original amount of their settlement. Payment for non-U.S. women has been increased to up to 60 percent, compared to the previous plan's upper limit of 40 percent. An expedited payment of $1,000 to women with Dow Corning breast implants, with no proof of injury required. Women with breast implants will vote to accept or reject the plan through a court-supervised process. If the plan is approved, and confirmed by the court, women may then choose the settlement option they prefer or they may choose to litigate. Women who choose to litigate will maintain their rights against all parties.

Dow Corning developed this amended plan with input from a variety of sources and with significant consideration and input from women with breast implants, noted Anderson. "We have been working vigorously to provide solutions to this issue and are fully committed to satisfying the claims of all women with our implants who are ready to resolve their claim and move on," he said. "Our Settlement Trust is comparable to the revised global settlement offered by other breast implant manufacturers, which has been widely accepted by women."

"In the last month, three new studies have added to the continuing trend of research showing that breast implants do not pose a substantial increased risk for disease," Anderson said. "This should be reassuring for women. Even so, we believe that a settlement remains the best way to resolve this controversy."

(see separate press release on new studies and science)

Dow Corning Corp., a global leader in silicon-based materials, is a Michigan, USA, corporation with shares equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company and Corning, Incorporated. More than half of Dow Corning's sales are outside the U.S.

For more information regarding the settlement plan and the latest summaries of the science and research on breast implants, visit our Chapter 11 Information web site at www.implantclaims.com.