Lavender essential oil spray blamed for two deaths

A lavender spray marketed for refreshing your home, later recalled due to bacteria, is now being blamed for two deaths.

The lavender and chamomile scent of Better Homes & Gardens Essential Oil Infused Aromatherapy Room Spray with Gemstones was found to have the bacteria burkholderia pseudomallei in it, and was recalled by Walmart and the Consumer Product Safety Commission in October 2021, as we previously reported.

A study published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine identified four cases of burkholderia pseudomallei infections from using the spray.

One of the people killed from the bacterial infection was a 5-year-old boy in Georgia, who died four days after being taken to the hospital in July. An autopsy found burkholderia pseudomallei in the child’s lungs, liver, spleen and brain, NBC News reported.

Determining what caused the deadly infection in the child and other patients was difficult, as none had left the country, until the CDC was able to collect samples of household products from each of the homes, The Washington Post reported.

Anyone who still has the product should stop using it, place it in two resealable bags, and return it to Walmart as soon as possible, where you will receive a gift card in exchange, The Washington Post reported.