Airgas Signs Agreement as National Distributor for Taylor-Wharton's RDF Products for Life Sciences.

RADNOR, Pa. -- Airgas, Inc., (NYSE:ARG) today announced it has entered into a three-year agreement with Harsco Corporation's (NYSE:HSC) Harsco GasServ division for Airgas to serve as a national distributor for Taylor-Wharton's liquid cryogenic Refrigeration, Dewar & Freezer (RDF) products.

While Airgas has long distributed Taylor-Wharton equipment, the new three-year agreement calls for Airgas, the nation's largest distributor of industrial, specialty and medical gases, to jointly market the Taylor-Wharton RDF line to the life sciences industry.

"Taylor-Wharton's product line, especially its liquid nitrogen freezers for long-term sample storage, is an important element to our full offering to life sciences companies, which includes cryogens and dry ice, industrial and specialty gases, personal safety equipment for the lab and related specialty gas equipment," said Tom Thoman, vice president - gases, for Airgas, Inc. "The combination of our reliable liquid cryogens and Taylor-Wharton's reliable equipment will help reduce the headaches and hassles of long-term sample storage for our life sciences customers."

"We are excited to partner with a market leader. Airgas, with its national scale, will help distribute our Cryo-Science Technology products to the leading biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and life sciences companies throughout the U.S., both directly and through its relationships with purchasing groups," said Scott Boyd, vice president of Sales & Marketing for Harsco GasServ.

Boyd noted that liquid nitrogen freezers have several advantages over mechanical freezers for long-term storage, including a more compact unit, less maintenance, and better long-term temperature control. The Taylor-Wharton product line includes dewars for storing and dispensing liquid cryogens, as well as LAB Series freezers with Auto-Tend Control Systems that maintain liquid nitrogen levels automatically.

About Airgas, Inc.

Airgas, Inc. (NYSE:ARG) is the largest U.S. distributor of industrial, medical and specialty gases, welding, safety and related products. Its integrated network of nearly 900 locations includes branches, retail stores, gas fill plants, specialty gas labs, production facilities and distribution centers. Airgas also distributes its products and services through eBusiness, catalog and telesales channels. Its national scale and strong local presence offer a competitive edge to its diversified customer base. For more information, please visit www.airgas.com.

About Taylor-Wharton, Harsco GasServ, and Harsco

Taylor-Wharton produces a comprehensive range of bulk and portable cryogenic storage units and a complete line of high-pressure compressed gas cylinders. Harsco GasServ comprises four complementary manufacturing and service businesses within Harsco Corporation that combined, form the world's leading technology, service and manufacturing network for gas applications involving pressure vessels and precision valves. Harsco's market-leading businesses provide mill services, access services, gas containment and control technologies, and engineered products and services to major industrial customers worldwide. The diversified, global company recorded 2004 sales of $2.5 billion, and employs 18,500 people in more than 40 countries of operation. Additional information about Harsco can be found at http://www.harsco.com/.