Hawaii Preschoolers Accidentally Served Pine-Sol Instead of Apple Juice

Apple juice and Pine-Sol
iStock/Pine-Sol

The school said none of the students were harmed.

Preschoolers in Hawaii were accidentally served Pine-Sol instead of apple juice after a classroom attendant said they mistook one for the other. 

The assistant, who was not identified, was preparing a morning snack for the children at Kilohana United Methodist Church Preschool in Honolulu when they saw "the yellow/brown colored liquid container on a clean-up cart in the kitchen" and took it back to the classroom,according to a report by the State of Hawaii Department of Health.

They then poured the liquid into individual cups for the children while the classroom teacher shepherded students to the bathroom, the report states. When the teacher returned to the classroom, they noticed that the liquid smelled nothing like apple juice and immediately stopped the students from drinking it. 

In a letter to parents, the school said none of the children were hurt and "only sips were taken before the lead teacher realized the liquid was not apple juice," according to The Associated Press

“The staff responded immediately by calling EMS and police. The children’s parents were immediately notified as well.”

The report by the Department of Health states that the Pine-Sol bottle was "properly labeled" and all food and drink items were stored separately in the kitchen.

The school said it will be looking into how the mix-up occurred, as well as how it can prevent something like this from happening in the future. The staff will go through more training as well, the school said.

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