Walmart recalls aromatherapy room spray over deadly bacteria concerns


Walmart announced on Friday it is recalling certain bottles of Better Homes and Gardens aromatherapy room spray, as they may contain "a rare and dangerous bacteria and risk of serious injury and death."
While investigating a cluster of four cases of melioidosis, a rare tropical disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested a bottle of the Better Homes and Garden Essential Oil Infused Aromatherapy Room Spray with Gemstones, and found it contained Burkholderia pseudomallei. This is a "dangerous bacteria which causes melioidosis, a condition that is difficult to diagnose and can be fatal," the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.
Two of the people whose cases were being investigated by the CDC have died. While the CDC has not yet confirmed the source of the infections, a bottle of the room spray "with the same type of bacteria was found in the home of one of the melioidosis decedents," the recall notice said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The recall affects 3,900 bottles of the room spray, which was sold in 5-ounce glass bottles at 55 Walmart stores and online, from February through October. The room spray was made in India, and has been pulled off the store shelves. Click here for a list of the room sprays and product numbers in the recall.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Trump said to seek government stake in Intel
Speed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to China
Speed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with Disney
Speed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages