Two young Australian mothers face serious health problems after purchasing Christmas-themed duvet covers from Kmart.
Hundreds of customers recently purchased the Mr & Mrs Claus Reversible and Christmas Elf Reversible Duvet Cover Set from the discount retail giant.
Some claim they have since experienced health problems with a number of complaints surrounding an odor similar to ‘diesel’ after unpacking the laundry before feeling light-headed.
Sydney’s mother, Holly, claimed the covers smelled “ridiculously strong of some chemical, like it was that bad.”
Tired of sleeping in the sheets straight out of the package, she washed the sheets to try to get rid of the smell, which then wafted through her house.
She called an ambulance after she started feeling sudden and sharp pain in her shoulder and jaw, before feeling dizzy and nauseous.
“They took me and my son because my son was exposed too,” Holly said A current issue on Monday.
After a night in hospital, Holly threw away her washing machine and took to social media, where she was shocked to hear that other Kmart shoppers had similar stories about the same product.
Sydney’s mother Holly (pictured) claimed she tried to rinse the smell from the bedding but instead the smell wafted through the house and left her dizzy
Dozens of Kmart customers have claimed to have experienced a ‘diesel’ smell from Christmas-themed duvet cover sets (pictured) purchased from Kmart
Brisbane mum Eden, who also spent a night in hospital, described the smell of the blankets as ‘poisonous petrol’.
“I only had a small inhalation of it, and I ended up with throat swelling and I couldn’t really breathe,” she said.
“It wasn’t until they took an X-ray that they saw that I was actually developing inflammation in my heart and lungs from exposure to these sheets.”
Eden also tried to wash the sheets, but ended up throwing the machine away as well.
She bought a duvet set for her and her husband and another for their four-year-old daughter Lola, which has since been thrown in the bin.
Eden claimed the covers still smelled strongly of chemicals even when wearing an N95 mask days after being thrown in the trash outside.
“I love Kmart, but I don’t think I can shop there again,” Eden said.
Other customers have recently taken to social media with similar complaints about loved ones being rushed to the hospital.
Another Brisbane mother, Eden (pictured), only slightly inhaled the sheets, but was found to have an inflamed heart and lungs from inhaling the smell of the sheets
Kmart has announced it has launched a voluntary recall of the products and will offer customers full refunds even if they have not suffered any adverse effects (stock image)
A Gold Coast mother said her husband woke up early in excruciating pain and begged her to call an ambulance two weeks after putting them to bed.
She claimed that paramedics told her to remove the duvet from the bed when they arrived because they had reportedly encountered similar complaints from other patients about the same product.
The woman also claimed that her son started experiencing asthma symptoms just days after she put the blanket on his bed.
Her husband’s chest pain disappeared the next day after she removed the bedding, but the family still feels a “strange burning sensation in our eyes and stuffy noses.”
Kmart announced on Monday that it had issued a voluntary recall for both products.
All customers who purchased the duvet covers, regardless of the negative consequences, can return them to the store for a full refund.
“We take the quality of all our products seriously and are committed to addressing customer product satisfaction issues,” a Kmart spokesperson said.
“We have taken the proactive step of notifying the ACCC of a voluntary product recall today.
“The public recall will follow in the coming days.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Kmart for comment.