ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., June 13 /PRNewswire/ -- In connection with the distribution of a liquidating dividend following the sale of AMCOL's superabsorbent polymer business to BASF AG, as previously announced, the following is an excerpt of information mailed to AMCOL shareholders on June 12, 2000.

    If you are enrolled in AMCOL's Dividend Reinvestment Plan, the plan
    states; if AMCOL makes a partial liquidating distribution resulting from
    the sale of a portion of its business, the distribution is not reinvested
    in AMCOL common stock.  Rather, the distribution will be distributed to
    the participants.  You will be receiving a payment representing the
    partial liquidating distribution paid with respect to your shares of AMCOL
    common stock.

    When there is a comparatively large cash distribution, it is the practice
    of the New York Stock Exchange not to allow the stock to sell "ex-
    distribution" until the cash is distributed.  The purpose of this is to
    maintain the full value of the stock until stockholders have received the
    cash distribution.  This is achieved by requiring that all certificates
    delivered after the record date be accompanied by assignments of the cash
    distribution.  Therefore in order to receive the distribution from AMCOL
    you must hold your AMCOL stock on the record date, June 16, 2000, thru
    ex-date which will be on or about July 3, 2000, depending on the
    distribution date.  AMCOL shares sold between the record date and the
    distribution date through a broker will be at a price that includes the
    $14 per share distribution.

AMCOL produces and markets a wide range of specialty mineral products used for industrial, environmental and consumer-related applications. AMCOL is the parent of American Colloid Co., CETCO (Colloid Environmental Technologies Co.), Nanocor and the transportation operations, Ameri-Co Carriers, Inc. and Nationwide Freight Service, Inc.
SOURCE AMCOL
Web site: http: //www.amcol.com
Company News On-Call: http: //www.prnewswire.com/comp/109852.html or fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 109852
CONTACT: Investor Relations, Jennifer Melsheimer of AMCOL International, 847-394-8730