Murray Hill, NJ, September 12:  BOC Gases and Linde Gas, each a member of The Linde Group, announced that they will increase U.S. helium prices 10-15 percent, effective October 15, 2006, or as contracts allow. Larger price increases may apply to customers who are not currently paying fuel surcharges.

"This price increase is necessary to offset the higher cost of purchasing and producing refined helium," said Kevin Baudhuin, president, BOC Industrial and Special Products, North America.

"The increased helium costs are the result of a growing reliance on purchases of high cost crude helium from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), government restrictions on the flow of crude helium feedgas through the BLM pipeline and the higher cost of refined helium purchased from third parties. Crude helium from the BLM's stockpile is playing an increasingly important role in the helium supply chain as crude helium production from lower cost private sources declines due to depletion of some of the key natural gas fields that contain helium," Baudhuin explained.

This increase will affect customers purchasing helium in liquid dewars, gaseous tube trailers, high-pressure cylinders and bulk liquid containers.

BOC Gases and Linde Gas are members of The Linde Group. The Linde Group is a world leading industrial gases and engineering company with more than 53,000 employees working in some 70 countries worldwide. Following the acquisition of The BOC Group the company has gases and engineering sales of approximately $16 billion. The Linde Group is now one of the world's leading suppliers of helium to diverse markets including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), optical fiber manufacturing, welding and semiconductor manufacturing. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services.

For more information, please see The Linde Group online at http://www.linde.com