18 States' Walmart Stores Hit by Recall of Aromatherapy Spray Linked to Deadly Bacteria

Walmart on Tuesday provided a list of its stores in 18 U.S. states that are impacted by a recall for an aromatherapy room spray that has been linked to a rare and dangerous type of bacteria by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) first announced the recall of the Better Homes and Gardens Essential Oil Infused Aromatherapy Room Spray with Gemstones last week. The recall was initiated following a CDC investigation into four cases of melioidosis, an infectious disease caused by the "rare and dangerous" bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei. Exposure to the bacteria can be fatal, and two of the patients whose illnesses are part of the CDC's current investigation have died.

According to the CPSC, the CDC identified the bacteria in a sample of one room spray bottle that was found in the home of one of the melioidosis patients who died. The CPSC noted the CDC has not yet confirmed the cause of the infections and is continuing its investigation.

Walmart said in a Tuesday press release that it stopped sales of the product once it learned of the CDC's findings. The company's recall covered an estimated 3,900 bottles of the room spray in six scents: Lavender & Chamomile, Lemon and Mandarin, Lavender, Peppermint, Sandalwood and Vanilla, and Lime & Eucalyptus. The sprays were sold online and in Walmart stores from February through October of this year, according to a CPSC press release.

Walmart's Tuesday release encouraged customers who bought the sprays to return them to the store at which the products were purchased. Walmart also identified the specific store locations at which the sprays were sold, with 18 states impacted. Those stores were located in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.

Walmart said in its release it removed the remaining room spray bottles that were still on store shelves and initiated a register block both in stores and online to prevent additional sales. The company said it reached out to customers believed to have purchased the sprays online by email on October 22 to inform them about the recall. Walmart said it also emailed an additional 2,000 customers believed to have purchased the products in person on Monday and sent letters to 263 other customers for whom the company did not have an email address on file.

Individuals who believe they have purchased one of the recalled products were instructed to stop using it and return the bottle to the Walmart location at which it was purchased rather than dispose of it themselves. Returned bottles of the product should be double-bagged and placed in a cardboard box before they are brought to a Walmart store, according to the CPSC. Customers were also encouraged to clean products or surfaces in their home that may have come into contact with the spray.

Newsweek reached out to the CDC for comment.