Must be a shoe type thing - I’ve never had any smell with La Sportiva (solution, futura, Muira or katana)
I just looked at the LS site, and it's been so long I recognize nothing aside from the current iteration of the Mythos. The biohazard shoes I had were from someone else, maybe 5.10? Maybe they were UFOs?
Nothing in 5.10's lineup looks familiar to me, but apparently they were acquired by Adidas in 2011, which probably explains it.
My stanky shoes were all black with some grey accents, and closed with velcro, which made them ideal for the gym. I wore them outside exactly ONCE, to a place near Austin. They were fine until I got above the trees, and the sun started BAKING MY FEET. They got super super hot in the sun, which was very uncomfortable and relegated them to gym-only climbing thereafter.