KINGSPORT, Tenn., April 11, 2006—It is simply a fact of life: infants and toddlers explore the world with their mouths. At birth, an infant's mouth is more sensitive to tactile differentiation than his or her extremities. Children put anything and everything in their mouths; from their fists to their feet, from teething rings to bath duckies, and from baby dolls to bouncing balls, the list is endless.

With such curious mouths to feed, it is not surprising that child safety is of critical importance to toy manufacturers and brand owners worldwide as they select raw material solutions which meet the highest regulatory requirements and are appropriate for use in toys. When it comes to finding plasticizers that meet these criteria, they do not have to look any further than Eastman Chemical Company's Eastman 168 plasticizer.

"Eastman 168 provides toy manufacturers a hassle-free drop-in replacement plasticizer and its clean toxicology profile gives toy marketers and brand owners the confidence they need to feel comfortable that the plasticizer they use meets the highest regulatory requirements," said Rick Johnson, group vice president for Eastman's performance chemicals, intermediates and fibers businesses. "We are pleased to be participating in the toy industry's conversion to non-ortho-phthalate plasticizers."

Eastman 168 has a very clean toxicological profile and is neither an estrogen mimicker nor anti-androgenic (i.e. "endocrine disruption"). It does not induce peroxisome proliferation and is not carcinogenic. Eastman 168 plasticizer is the low risk choice for toy companies and their suppliers looking for an alternative plasticizer for use in mouthable toys for children under the age of three.

"With Eastman 168 plasticizer, we provide the toy industry with a solution to its search for the best non-ortho-phthalate plasticizer," said Dr. Mark Holt, global plasticizer market development manager for Eastman. "Our extensive toxicological and application testing has shown that Eastman 168 is the material of choice for toymakers looking for performance, processability and compliance with the new European regulations."

Unlike other alternative plasticizers, reformulation is unnecessary with Eastman 168 plasticizer, reducing the risk of formulation errors that could result in costly recalls or consumer complaints. Eastman 168 is an excellent general purpose plasticizer, offering good performance properties and resistance to extraction by soapy water. Due to its outstanding low temperature flexibility, toys made with Eastman 168 plasticizer are less likely to crack or break due to cold weather if left outside after playtime. Eastman 168 plasticizer has excellent non-migration properties against both typical nitrocellulose wood coatings and adjacent ABS parts.

In plastisols, Eastman 168 plasticizer results in low initial viscosity and exceptional viscosity stability. It also enables superb processabilty, allowing molders to run at profitable production speeds and faster cycle times, and provides uniform wall thicknesses.

For more than 30 years, Eastman has been a provider of high-quality plasticizers to the global marketplace without interruption in supply or availability. Today, Eastman provides a portfolio of plasticizer products for the adhesives, coatings, plastics, apparel, building and construction, electrical, home furnishing, packaging, recreation, transportation, vinyl foams and toy markets. With its in-depth understanding of the plasticizers market and technology-based innovation, Eastman is helping customers meet the demands of a dynamic regulatory environment and deliver value creating solutions to the changing market needs. In providing world-class technical service, Eastman demonstrates its commitment to helping its customers deliver the most cost-effective solutions to meet the challenging performance and environmental requirements in today’s marketplace.