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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
We live in an age of concern over many types of infectious diseases. While modern medicine can help with recovery, prevention is really the best way to win the war. And prevention is as simple as washing your hands. But surprisingly, many people don't do a thorough job. Even after soap and water are applied, germs can still remain in areas where the soap didn't reach.
Well, a product produced in Utah is helping to educate people about proper hand washing. It's called Glo Germ and the name describes exactly what it does. People can apply the product to their hands, wash and see what was left behind. The ingredients in the Glo Germ lotion and powder actually resemble bacteria in size but they are noninfectious. When held under a standard ultraviolet light, they cast a revealing glow.
Glo Germ can also be used to demonstrate how germs are spread through shaking hands and how germs can remain on a surface even after it has been cleaned.
The product was invented in the late Œ60s, and in 1975, Joe Kingsley, president of Moab-based DMA International, bought the product rights. Canada became a major market in the Œ80s, and today Glo Germ is sold all over the world. It has played an important role in training patients and staff in major hospitals throughout the United States, including Johns Hopkins University. Several well-known fast-food restaurants all use Glo Germ to inspect and train regional managers and employees in proper food handling. And for several years, Glo Germ has provided materials for preschool and day care facilities to train providers and children proper handwashing procedures. A few years ago, Glo Germ was instrumental in helping the Salt Lake County Health Department clear up a hepatitis problem at some day care centers. The disease was spreading because the children weren't washing properly.
Though Glo Germ has been around for more than 20 years, Joe Kingsley told me the possibilities for using it have yet to be fully discovered. Besides the foodhandling and medical applications, Glo Germ has been used to train in the handling of radioactive materials by the Atomic Energy Commission.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
