Lakeland Industries (LAKE) announced that subsidiary California PPE has installed and qualified California’s first CO₂ turnout gear cleaning and decontamination system at its Riverside facility, which is now fully operational and accepting gear from fire departments across the United States.The new CO₂ system, leased from Tersus Solutions, forms part of California PPE’s DualPhase CleanTM process, combining advanced water-based cleaning with CO₂ decontamination to target a wider range of contaminants. The UL-tested process demonstrated removal of up to 90%+ of heavy metals and up to 99.9% of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), exceeding NFPA 1850’s 50% minimum removal standard. CO₂ cleaning can also remove up to 98% of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and help extend gear life while reducing turnaround time. California PPE will host an open house on October 14, 2026, for departments to see the system and its broader PPE services.