A Brooklyn lawsuit claims Walmart kept selling a store-brand air freshener after learning it carried dangerous levels of benzene.
Maximus Pierre Ferraroni, a customer who bought the product at a Walmart in Centereach, filed suit in Kings County Supreme Court on Sept. 1 against the retail giant. He alleges the company continued stocking its Great Value Hawaiian Automatic Air Freshener Spray Refills despite documented evidence of a known carcinogen inside.
Biogen Laboratory Developments, hired by Ferraroni to test the $7.77 can, found 1.10 parts per million of benzene, according to court papers. The Environmental Protection Agency sets its guideline for chronic inhalation of the chemical at 0.0094 parts per million — making the detected level roughly 117 times that threshold.
The World Health Organization holds that no level of benzene exposure is without risk. The chemical has been linked to leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.
Walmart’s label on the fruity-scented spray warns that it can irritate the eyes and may be harmful or fatal if swallowed. It says nothing about benzene, which typically goes unmentioned by brands because it forms as an unintended byproduct of chemicals breaking down.
The product is designed for use in an automatic dispenser that releases mist into a room as often as every nine minutes, potentially exposing occupants to repeated inhalation.
“Walmart took no action to remove the product from shelves and continued to sell it,” the suit reads.
Walmart was served with documentation of benzene in the air freshener in 2023 as part of another case, the lawsuit states. Ferraroni is demanding $75,000 over what the complaint calls the “misleading” product.
A Walmart spokesperson said the company would “review the complaint upon receipt.” Biogen did not return a request for comment. Ferraroni’s attorney declined to comment. It remains unclear what prompted Ferraroni to seek laboratory testing of the air freshener.