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Children in preschool ‘accidentally’ given Pine-Sol instead of apple juice, health department says

Posted at 8:14 PM, Dec 01, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-03 14:06:02-05

HONOLULU, Hawaii – A classroom of preschoolers almost drank a liquid cleaner Tuesday, after an assistant accidentally poured Pine-Sol into snack cups instead of apple juice.

According to a health complaint released by the State of Hawaii Department of Health, on Tuesday the director of the Kilohana United Methodist Church Preschool notified a parent that a child was "accidentally" served Pine-Sol that was mistaken for apple juice of the same color.

Health department officials spoke with the director of the school, who said that morning, classroom snacks were prepared in the school's kitchen by a classroom assistant. The snacks consisted of crackers and juice, the department said.

The assistant saw the yellow/brown Pine-Sol in a cleanup cart, the director said, and "returned to the classroom with the crackers and container of liquid."

While the classroom teacher was helping students in the restroom, the assistant poured the liquid into cups, according to the complaint.

When the teacher smelled the liquid, they noticed it was not apple juice, the school's director told investigators, and stopped the students before they drank it.

"The liquid was in the original Pine-Sol container and proper labeled," the complaint said. " All the food items in the kitchen are properly stored and labeled in the kitchen cabinets."

No violations were noted by health department officials following the incident. It was unclear if any staff at the school faced disciplinary actions.