ECOLAB INC. — Director's Dealing 2008

Mar 27, 2008

SEC Form 4 — Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership

Issuer: ECOLAB INC (ECL)
CIK: 0000031462
Period of Report: 2008-03-27

Reporting Person: BILLER LESLIE S (Director)

Non-Derivative Transactions

Date	Security	Code	Shares	Price	A/D	Holdings After	Ownership
2008-03-27	Common Stock	M	10000	$16.156	Acquired	59381.31	Direct
2008-03-27	Common Stock	F	3696	$43.705	Disposed	55685.31	Direct

Derivative Transactions

Date	Security	Exercise Price	Code	Shares	A/D	Expiration	Underlying	Ownership
2008-03-27	Stock Option (Right to Buy)	$16.156	M	10000	Disposed	2008-05-08	Common Stock (10000)	Direct

Footnotes

F1: Reflects the reporting person's payment of the exercise price of the stock option issued in accordance with Rule 16b-3 by delivering shares of Ecolab common stock.

F2: Option was granted under the Ecolab Inc. 1995 Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan on May 8, 1998 and became exercisable as to 50% of the shares on May 14, 1999 and the remaining 50% of the shares on May 12, 2000. The exercise price for the stock option has been halved and the number of shares subject to the option doubled to reflect a 2-for-1 stock split on June 6, 2003 subsequent to the original reporting of the option. The original option grant covered 16,000 shares (on a post-split basis) and a portion of the option was previously exercised.