Houston, TX - October 04, 2005

The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow") announced today that it has declared force majeure for polystyrene products from its North American plants due to the impact from raw material shortages resulting from the landfall of Hurricane Rita.

Production at Dow's polystyrene facility in Freeport, Texas was suspended as part of a site-wide shutdown ahead of Hurricane Rita. Dow has mobilized maintenance and operations teams at the site to bring production back on line. However, restricted supplies of styrene and butadiene rubber have significantly reduced the Company's polystyrene production capability.

"At this time we cannot determine the duration of this situation - much will depend on how soon a normal flow of styrene reaches our plants," said Jeff Denton, North American Product Director for Polystyrene. "Meanwhile, we will use appropriate and commercially reasonable means to meet our supply commitments as circumstances allow."

About The Dow Chemical Company
Dow is a leader in science and technology, providing innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of $40 billion, Dow serves customers in 175 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress: food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its 43,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.

For Editorial Information:

Soledad Echague
The Dow Chemical Company
(713) 978-2249

Simon Dibb
Porter Novelli
(978) 475-3004