PITTSBURGH, April 3, 2001 - Bayer Corporation, which acquired Sybron Chemicals Inc. last year, will market its line of ion exchange resins and water treatment chemicals under the Sybron name as a wholly-owned subsidiary, the corporation announced today.

"In the water treatment area, the Sybron acquisition combines strength with strength. It forges Bayer's worldwide leadership in industrial water treatment products with Sybron's excellent products, services and market position within NAFTA," said Charles E. Fluharty, Manager of Bayer's Resins and Water Treatment Chemicals business unit. "Marketing our ion exchange resins under 'Sybron Chemicals Inc.' will allow us to capitalize on Sybron's solid market position in ion exchange resins and value-added processing services," he said.

Bayer is the world's largest producer of monodispersed ion exchange resins and offers an extensive line of specialty resins and five different fluidized bed ion exchange systems. Its Lewatit® ion exchange resins for treating industrial waste and process water are used to recycle electroplating rinse water, remove trace heavy metals from industrial water effluents and recover copper from rinse water during printed circuit board manufacturing.

Sybron's Ionac® resins play a major role in providing treated water for industrial and domestic use worldwide. They also are becoming increasingly important in selective metal recovery and chemical processing.

"Combined with the Bayer product line, the new subsidiary will offer one of the most complete ion exchange product ranges available worldwide and an unprecedented service base," Fluharty said.

"In addition to Sybron's good name and reputation, the acquisition gave us an excellent ion exchange resin manufacturing base in the United States at Birmingham, New Jersey. Bayer is investing in plant improvements at the Birmingham facility and developing a new NAFTA region technical center there," Fluharty said. "Other value-added services offered by the Sybron Chemicals Inc. subsidiary will include resin processing, product sampling, credit card purchasing and e-commerce capabilities," he added. "The Birmingham facility, combined with the Bayer Group's new production plant in Bitterfeld, Germany, puts us in an excellent worldwide strategic position."

Bayer's water treatment business is part of the Specialty Products Unit in the corporation's Industrial Chemicals Division. Beyond ion exchange resins, the corporation also produces Hydrazine Hydrate and Bayhibit AM® inhibitor.

For more information on the new Sybron subsidiary's complete ion exchange offering, contact: Bayer Corporation, Polymers and Chemicals Communications, 100 Bayer Road, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15205. Or phone 1-800-662-2927. Visit Bayer's ion exchange web site at www.H2OTreat.com.

Best known for its flagship product, Bayer Aspirin, Bayer Corporation produces a broad range of health care, life sciences and chemical products that help diagnose and treat diseases, purify water, preserve local landmarks, protect crops, advance automobile safety and durability and improve people's lives.

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Bayer Corporation had sales of $10.1 billion in 2000 and is one of Fortune magazine's Most Admired Companies. The company employs 23,200 people. It is a member of the worldwide Bayer Group, a $29 billion international life sciences, polymers and specialty chemicals group based in Leverkusen, Germany. The Bayer Group (BAYG.DE) stock is a component of the DAX, and Bayer plans to list its stock on the New York Stock Exchange on September 26, 2001.

Editor's Note: please send all reader service leads to the attention of Kit Newton, Communications Representative, Bayer Corporation, 100 Bayer Road, Pittsburgh, Pa 15205.