GenTek Announces Balance Sheet Improvements; Voluntary Term Loan Prepayment and Termination of Irish Pension Plans

The company expects to use excess cash generated by its operationsto prepay $3 million of its first lien term loan in the month ofSeptember. This prepayment is in addition to a $3 million prepaymentmade in August 2005.

In addition, on August 31, 2005, the company terminated all futurefunding obligations with respect to its two defined benefit pensionplans relating to former employees of the company's Irish personalcare chemicals manufacturing operations, which were closed in 2004.This action, which included net funding of approximately EUR 1.0million and a reduction in long-term liability of a similar amount,was accomplished primarily with cash proceeds from the sale of theIrish manufacturing facility in late 2004. The company expects torecord a one-time, third quarter charge of approximately $0.6 millionrelated to the settlement of these liabilities. GenTek will have nofurther liability under either of these plans.

"These actions reflect our continued commitment to improveoperations and cash flow in order to reduce leverage thereby drivingvalue creation for the benefit of our shareholders," said William E.Redmond, Jr., GenTek's President and Chief Executive Officer.

About GenTek Inc.

GenTek provides specialty inorganic chemical products and servicesfor treating water and wastewater, petroleum refining, and themanufacture of personal-care products, valve-train systems andcomponents for automotive engines and wire harnesses for large homeappliance and automotive suppliers. GenTek operates over 60manufacturing facilities and technical centers and has more than 6,900employees.

GenTek's 2,000-plus customers include many of the world's leadingmanufacturers of cars and trucks, heavy equipment, appliances andoffice equipment, in addition to global energy companies and makers ofpersonal-care products. Additional information about the company isavailable at www.gentek-global.com.

Forward-looking statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within themeaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.Certain statements, other than statements of historical facts,included herein may constitute forward-looking statements. We havebased these forward-looking statements on our current expectations andprojections about future events. Although we believe that ourassumptions made in connection with the forward-looking statements arereasonable, there can be no assurances that these assumptions andexpectations will prove to have been correct. Important factors thatcould cause actual results to differ from these expectations include,among others, our outstanding indebtedness and leverage; the impact ofthe restrictions imposed by our indebtedness; our ability to fund andexecute our business plan; potential adverse developments with respectto our liquidity or results of operations; the high degree ofcompetition in certain of our businesses, and the potential for newcompetitors to enter into those businesses; continued or increasedprice pressure in our markets; customers and suppliers seekingcontractual and credit terms less favorable to us; our ability tomaintain customers and suppliers that are important to our operations;our ability to attract and retain new customers; the impact ofpossible substantial future cash funding requirements for our pensionplans, including if investment returns on pension assets are lowerthan assumed; the impact of any possible failure to achieve targetedcost reductions; increases in the cost of raw materials, includingenergy and other inputs used to make our products; futuremodifications to existing laws and regulations affecting theenvironment, health and safety; discovery of unknown contingentliabilities, including environmental contamination at our facilities;suppliers' delays or inability to deliver key raw materials;breakdowns or closures of our or certain of our customers' plants orfacilities; inability to obtain sufficient insurance coverage or theterms thereof; domestic and international economic conditions,fluctuations in interest rates and in foreign currency exchange rates;the cyclical nature of certain of our businesses and markets; thepotential that actual results may differ from the estimates andassumptions used by management in the preparation of the consolidatedfinancial statements; future technological advances which may affectour existing product lines; the potential exercise of our Tranche Band Tranche C warrants and other events could have a substantialdilutive effect on our common stock; and other risks detailed fromtime to time in our SEC reports. We undertake no obligation topublicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as aresult of new information, future events or otherwise. In light ofthese risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking eventsdiscussed in this press release might not occur.