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<TYPE>EX-99
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<FILENAME>ex99-1.txt
<DESCRIPTION>EXHIBIT 99.1
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                  [LETTERHEAD OF BECTON, DICKINSON & COMPANY]

Contact:
--------
Colleen White, Corporate Communications - 201-847-5369
Patricia A. Spinella, Investor Relations - 201-847-5453

                   BD Announces Settlement of Pending Lawsuit

Franklin Lakes, NJ (July 2, 2004) - BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE:
BDX) announced that the Company has entered into an agreement today to settle
the lawsuit filed against it by Retractable Technologies, Inc. (RTI) in the
United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas in Texarkana, Texas.

"This agreement will enable us to focus all of our energies and resources on our
most important task - meeting significant healthcare needs through the
production of safe, effective and competitively-priced products," said Edward J.
Ludwig, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of BD.

Under the terms of the agreement, the suit against BD will be dismissed with
prejudice, and BD will pay $100 million to RTI. In addition, BD and RTI have
exchanged releases.

BD will record a pretax charge of $100 million ($63 million after taxes and
approximately 24 cents per diluted share) in its 2004 fiscal third quarter
results.

Conference Call
BD has scheduled a conference call for investors, which will be broadcast live
on BD's website, www.bd.com/investors, at 11:30 a.m. (ET) Friday, July 2, 2004.
A replay of the conference call will be available on BD's website,
www.bd.com/investors, or at 1-866-479-2459 (domestic) and 1-203-369-1534
(international) through July 9, 2004.

BD is a medical technology company that serves healthcare institutions, life
science researchers, clinical laboratories, industry and the general public. BD
manufactures and sells a broad range of medical supplies, devices, laboratory
equipment and diagnostic products. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2003,
BD reported total revenues of $4.528 billion.

                                       ***





This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements (as defined
under Federal securities laws) regarding BD's performance, including future
revenues, products and income, or



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events or developments that BD expects to occur or anticipates occurring in the
future. All such statements are based upon current expectations of BD and
involve a number of business risks and uncertainties. Actual results could vary
materially from anticipated results described, implied or projected in any
forward-looking statement. Factors that could cause actual results to vary
materially from any forward-looking statement include, but are not limited to:
competitive factors; pricing and market share pressures; uncertainties of
litigation; changes in BD's sales volume and product mix; BD's ability to
achieve its cost savings objectives; changes in regional, national or foreign
economic conditions; increases in energy costs; fluctuations in costs and
availability of raw materials and in BD's ability to maintain favorable supplier
arrangements and relationships; changes in interest or foreign currency exchange
rates; delays in product introductions; and changes in healthcare or other
governmental regulation, as well as other factors discussed in this press
release and in BD's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do
not intend to update any forward-looking statements.


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