Johns Manville Formaldehyde-free(TM) Fiber Glass Building Insulation Receives Prestigious Home Safety Council Commendation Award

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 9, 2006--Johns Manville (JM) today announced that its complete line of Formaldehyde-free(TM) fiber glass building insulation received the Home Safety Council (HSC) Commendation Award for Product Innovation for Consumer Safety at the HSC's Salute to Home Safety Awards Dinner on June 8, 2006, in Washington, D.C. The award is given to manufacturers for their contribution in helping consumers maintain a safe home environment by reducing home injury risks through innovative product design and development.

To view a video highlighting JM's commitment to home safety, go to: www.jm-builder.com.

“Manufacturers are a valuable partner in the Home Safety Council's ongoing efforts to create safer American homes”

A diverse and independent technical advisory committee comprised of national leaders from the areas of public health, fire and life safety, and injury prevention reviewed Johns Manville's nomination for its complete line of Formaldehyde-free fiber glass building insulation. The committee selected Formaldehyde-free fiber glass building insulation to acknowledge JM's efforts to develop safer products with a proactive consumer safety program that is the industry model for others to follow.

"We are honored to receive this prestigious award from the Home Safety Council," said Tim Carey, JM's senior manager of environmental and stewardship programs. "We are dedicated to our customers' health, safety and well-being and removed formaldehyde from our products in response to growing concerns about indoor air quality. Indoor air quality is particularly important today as homes are being built tighter to achieve greater energy efficiency. Insulation plays a major role in making homes more energy efficient and consumers should be given the choice to select insulation that has no detectable formaldehyde emissions."

Sensitive to the need to create environmentally responsible building products, Johns Manville revolutionized the fiber glass insulation industry when it introduced a complete line of formaldehyde-free fiber glass building insulation products in 2002. Of the two million homes built annually, 90 percent contain fiber glass insulation making fiber glass the most commonly used insulation in residential construction. Today, Johns Manville is still the only fiber glass insulation manufacturer to offer a complete line of formaldehyde-free fiber glass insulation. Since doing so, several public health and environmental bodies have made important decisions, classifications and recommendations related to formaldehyde:

-- International Agency for Research on Cancer: The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) organized a working group of distinguished medical doctors, toxicologists and other experts who reviewed the most recent science, including new studies from the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health showing a link between formaldehyde exposure and cancer. After the review, IARC changed the cancer hazard classification of formaldehyde from Group 2A probable carcinogen to Group 1 known human carcinogen in June 2004.

-- California Air Resources Board: IARC's action is one reason why the California Air Resources Board (CARB), a division of the California Environmental Protection Agency, now recommends that homeowners, builders and architects use formaldehyde-free building materials when building a home or remodeling. In its July 2005 report "Indoor Air Pollution in California," CARB states that "children's physiology and developing lungs and bodies makes them more susceptible to chemicals that affect development and lung function." In 1992, CARB designated formaldehyde as a toxic air contaminant, based on its potential to cause cancer and other adverse health effects.

-- Mayo Clinic: In March 2006, the Mayo Clinic identified formaldehyde as a top ten allergen causing dermatitis, an inflammatory skin condition marked by swelling, redness and itchiness.

-- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: In 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency submitted comments to the U.S. Green Building Council in which the U.S. EPA recommended limiting the amount of formaldehyde exposure as much as possible.

-- Environment Canada: In April 2005, Environment Canada's Environmental Choice Program announced that to be authorized to carry the Environmental Choice Program's EcoLogo, fiber glass insulation materials can not be formulated or manufactured with formaldehyde containing binders.

"Manufacturers are a valuable partner in the Home Safety Council's ongoing efforts to create safer American homes," said Home Safety Council president Meri-K Appy. "We applaud Johns Manville's efforts and are honored to present them with this award."

All JM insulation undergoes rigorous testing at the Johns Manville Technical Center to ensure products perform properly and are safe for installation in homes. JM's line of Formaldehyde-free building insulation includes products such as the Spider(TM) Custom Insulation System, MR(TM) Faced Batts, ComfortTherm(R), EasyFit(R) and ClimatePro(R). While converting to formaldehyde-free, JM's product line has also maintained its industry-leading post-consumer recycled glass content of 20 percent.

JM's Formaldehyde-free building insulation product line has been widely recognized throughout the industry. The product line has been listed as a "Most Valuable Product" in Building Products magazine, named one of the "Top 10 Green Building Products" in BuildingGreen, chosen as an Editors' Pick by ProSales, and has twice received Architecture magazine's ACE Award and Architectural Record's Editor's Choice. Since JM building insulation manufacturing plants no longer use formaldehyde as a binder or glue that holds insulation fibers together, the plants are no longer subject to hazardous air pollutant regulations under the Clean Air Act. In 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presented JM with a letter of exemption.

The Home Safety Council(R) (HSC) is the only national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to preventing home-related injuries that result in nearly 20,000 deaths and 21 million medical visits on average each year. Through national programs, partnerships and the support of volunteers, HSC educates people of all ages to be safer in and around their homes. The Home Safety Council is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization located in Washington, D.C.

Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company (NYSE:BRK.A) (NYSE:BRK.B), is a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality building and specialty products. In business since 1858, the Denver-based company has annual sales in excess of $2.5 billion and holds leadership positions in all of the key markets that it serves. Johns Manville employs approximately 8,500 people and operates 43 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China. Additional information can be found at www.jm.com.