Preschoolers Served Pine-Sol During Snack Time

A bizarre mix-up at a Hawaii preschool, where the young students were served Pine-Sol instead of apple juice during snack time Tuesday. Authorities say a classroom assistant was preparing the snack in the kitchen and poured the cleaning liquid into cups as the teacher was busy with students, KHON reports. The incident at Kilohana United Methodist Church Preschool is being called an accident—the AP, for example, reports that the assistant "mistook" the Pine-Sol for apple juice—but authorities say the Pine-Sol was in its original and appropriately-labeled container and was sitting on a cleaning cart when the assistant grabbed it. The assistant no longer works at the school.

The teacher noticed the smell and stopped students from drinking the liquid, realizing it wasn't juice, but three students aged 4 and 5 did take small sips. They were medically evaluated and found to not have been harmed. Still, parents are horrified and wondering how it happened. (THC-tainted candy recently sent five kids to the hospital.)