Bayer MaterialScience LLC Revises Evaluation Report for Spray Polyurethane Foam Insulation

SPRING, TEXAS–August 22, 2012–Why use two products when one will do the job? Bayer MaterialScience LLC revised its International Code Council Evaluation Service Report (ESR) 2072. An ESR lets architects, specifiers, contractors and most importantly, building inspectors, know that a product meets all required life safety and building codes. Bayer's revised ESR 2072 has five significant changes and eliminates the requirement for a separate ignition barrier and thermal barrier. ESR 2072 covers Bayer's residential spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation, Bayseal® Closed-Cell (CC) insulation.

Changes to the reissued ESR 2072 are:

• The ESR now addresses all four formulations of Bayseal® Closed Cell (CC) SPF insulation – Bayseal® CC, Bayseal® CC Polar, Bayseal® CC X, and Bayseal® CC XP.
• Bayseal® CC X and Bayseal® CC XP may now be used in service-only attics and crawlspaces without the prescriptive ignition barrier or additional fire-retardant coating.
• DC315 (manufactured by International Fireproof Technology, Inc.) may now be used as a coating over all Bayseal® Closed Cell SPF products. DC315 serves as an interior finish without the separate 15-minute thermal barrier.
• FIRESHELL® BMS-TC (manufactured by TPR2 Corporation) may now be used as a coating over all Bayseal® Closed Cell SPF products. FIRESHELL® BMS-TC serves as an interior finish without the 15-minute thermal barrier.
• Each of the four formulations of Bayseal® CC SPF insulation are now recognized as a water-resistive barrier without additional building wrap.

It is important to note that that Bayseal® CC X and Bayseal® CC XP now meet requirements of the International Code Council Acceptance Criteria for Spray-applied Foam Plastic Insulation (AC 377) Appendix X without the code-prescribed ignition barrier or additional fire-retardant coatings.

When required by code, all SPF insulation must be used with the appropriate ignition and/or thermal barrier; the specific combination of SPF and fire-resistive coating is dependent upon the type of construction.

As the technical evaluation services subsidiary to the International Code Council, ICC-ES provides unbiased, third-party building product technical evaluations.

"Even though ESRs are not mandatory for product use, Bayer's position is that an ESR provides the assurance our customers need to know that they're in compliance with all applicable codes," said Jose Luna, technology manager, Bayer MaterialScience LLC Spray Insulation and Roofing Materials. "We're particularly pleased to get the reissued ESR 2072 into the hands of the builder community; the changes in ESR 2072 will help residential architects and builders to meet prescriptive code requirements with fewer products and lower installation costs."

Complete technical data sheets for all Bayseal® CC SPF insulations are available at the link provided below.

About Bayer MaterialScience LLC: Bayer MaterialScience LLC is one of the leading producers of polymers and high-performance plastics in North America and is part of the global Bayer MaterialScience business with approximately 14,800 employees at 30 production sites around the world and 2011 sales of 10.8 billion euros. Bayer MaterialScience's 2011 sales in North America were $2.9 billion.  The company manufactures high-tech polymer materials and develops innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, medical, and sports and leisure industries. Sustainability is central to Bayer MaterialScience LLC's business and is based around the key areas of innovation, product stewardship, excellence in corporate management, social responsibility and respect for the environment.

For more information about spray polyurethane foam product families from Bayer MaterialScience LLC, call 1-800-289-8272 or use the contact details provided below.

Forward-Looking Statements: This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.