ECOLAB INC. — Director's Dealing 2012

Aug 28, 2012

SEC Form 4 — Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership

Issuer: ECOLAB INC (ECL)
CIK: 0000031462
Period of Report: 2012-08-24

Reporting Person: Corkrean John J (Sr.VP and Corporate Controller)

Non-Derivative Transactions

Date	Security	Code	Shares	Price	A/D	Holdings After	Ownership
2012-08-24	Common Stock	M	4450	$24.34	Acquired	12540	Direct
2012-08-24	Common Stock	F	2549	$66.575	Disposed	9991	Direct
2012-08-24	Common Stock	M	2000	$27.39	Acquired	11991	Direct
2012-08-24	Common Stock	F	1206	$66.575	Disposed	10785	Direct
2012-08-27	Common Stock	S	1000	$66.231	Disposed	9785	Direct

Derivative Transactions

Date	Security	Exercise Price	Code	Shares	A/D	Expiration	Underlying	Ownership
2012-08-24	Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy)	$24.34	M	4450	Disposed	2012-12-05	Common Stock (4450)	Direct
2012-08-24	Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy)	$27.39	M	2000	Disposed	2013-12-11	Common Stock (2000)	Direct

Holdings (Non-Derivative)

Security	Shares	Ownership
Common Stock	1593.075	Indirect

Footnotes

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

F2: Number of UNITS in the Ecolab Stock Fund of the Ecolab Savings Plan (401(k) Plan) as of July 31, 2012. Includes 37.924 UNITS acquired since the reporting person's last report. (The 1,593.075 UNITS are the equivalent of approximtely 2,961 shares of the issuer's Common Stock.)

F3: Option granted under the Ecolab Inc. 2002 Stock Incentive Plan. The option became exercisable, on a cumulative basis, as to one-third of the option shares (excluding any fractional portion less than one share), on each of the first and second anniversaries of the date of grant and as to the remaining shares on the third anniversary of the date of grant.