New Yankee Stadium to be antimicrobial

NEW YORK, March 11 (UPI) -- The New York Yankees announced Wednesday the new Yankee Stadium will become the first antimicrobial facility in Major League Baseball.

CSG, a provider of antimicrobial products, treatments and services, will

treat the baseball stadium using the Sports Antimicrobial System, team officials said.

The system is a comprehensive process that kills illness-causing microorganisms, and continually inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold and fungi on any surface for up to three years, officials said.

"We feel the Sports Antimicrobial System will be critical to our operations in 2009," Doug Behar, senior director of stadium operations, said in a statement.

Areas of the stadium to be treated include the home and visiting club houses, locker rooms, training rooms, dugouts, showers, managers and coaches offices, weight-training areas and family lounge. Additionally, the team's washable fabrics will be treated with FabricAid, Behar said.

The SportsAide 1000 system is used by more than 1,200 high schools and pro franchises nationwide for several reasons, but most importantly because the water-based antimicrobial fights a wide array of microbial growth, said Craig Andrews, chief executive officer of CSG.

No word yet on if the fans will benefit from the same antimicrobial treatment in the public areas.