Daycare Kids Get Wiper Fluid, Not Kool-Aid

(CBS/AP)  Ten children drank windshield wiper fluid after a staffer at an Arkansas day care put the liquid in a refrigerator and mistakenly served it thinking it was a flavored drink mix, hospital officials said Friday.

Doctors estimate the children, ages 2 to 7, drank about an ounce of the fluid late Thursday afternoon before realizing it tasted wrong, said Laura James, a pediatric pharmacologist and toxicologist at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock.

Only one child remained hospitalized Friday morning after blood samples showed "measurable levels" of methanol, a highly toxic alcohol that can induce comas and cause blindness, officials said.

"It was a bright blue product that, if you looked at it quickly and didn't look at the label, did look like Kool-Aid and had been put in the refrigerator by mistake," James told CBS News.

Julie Munsell, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Human Services, identified the day care operator as Carolyn Bynum in the town of Scott, about 15 miles east of Little Rock. Bynum declined to comment Friday.

Bynum had a state license to care for 10 children in her home and had no complaints or serious compliance issues in the past, Munsell said. Child welfare investigators planned to interview Bynum on Friday.

The children all were examined by doctors at the hospital and the day care provided a sample of the windshield wiper fluid for laboratory testing, James said.

The toxicologist warned that many antifreeze or windshield wiper solutions have bright colors, which children can mistake for fruit drinks.

"I think the take-home message is not to have these products in the kitchen or where you're doing any kind of food preparation," she said.

[Uppsydaisy]

Really, why were they giving the kids Kool-Aid to begin with? NO nutritional value whatsoever (the wiper fluid probably has more)! Hope the little ones all check out o.k. The moron who made this ridiculous "mistake" needs to learn some basic reading skills and find a new job far, far away from children. And food-service.

[Ordflyer]

Why would you have windshield washer fluid in the fridge???????

[Slrman-21001573651763300012869]

"How stupid can you be?" Apparently, from reading many of the postings here, there is no limit to stupidity. What amazes me is that some of these people could learn to read and write, much lees operate a computer. ROFLMAO!

[mollydtt]

The problem is that the person working there couldn't read. Please, don't tell me that requiring the ability to read is discrimination against those that can't read. I buy windshield fluid. It has a label that says "Windshield Fluid" on it. Not koolaid.

[jackp32]

I doubt that the guilty attendent could read or write. What is this fluid doing in the refrig? Where did this dumb idiot ever get such a stupid idea?

[ka_ree4]

hetup2009- i totally agree- There should be an investigation as to why she was cooling the wiper fluid with this being one of the uses for it. Every child should be taken from her care immediately and her license permanently revoked.
Just a good reminder- Parents you NEVER really KNOW what is happening to your children when you are not there- especially if they are too young to tell you. Best to thoroughly check out (with the State) any day care where you pan to leave your children. Best case scenario is having a family mem that can watch them but not always possible anymore.
Hope these kiddos all turn out to be well.

[harpoot]

Well, its Arkansas, genius capitol of the south.

[dragyn30]

This is just as stupid as the morons that gave their children Tiki Torch fuel instead of apple juice.

I hope the parents remove their kids from this idiot before she succeeds in killing any of them.

What an idiot!!! I hope they yank this woman's license one mistake with kids is too much!!!

[hetup-2009]

The windshield washer fluid was in the fridge cooling, it is used as a coolant in off band lighting systems for remote camera hookups used by private detectives, law enforcement, and unfortunately - secret porn. Search this place and likely find that drinking this fluid was one of the better things these creeps were up to.

[cattiej]

I think the person who served this windshield wiper fluid, doesn't know how to READ.
The person who runs/owns this daycare should have her license to have a day care removed forever. WHEN YOU ARE TAKING CARE OF A CHILD, THERE ARE "NO, SECOND CHANCES".
All the people working at this day care should also never be allowed to work with children again. Our children are our lifeline to our future. We want our children to grow up to do great things and be honest , moral and treat people with respect. If you have a brain cell problem because someone gave you windshield wiper fluid instead of Kool-aide, you may never LIVE to grow up..This is some dangerous stuff for small children to be ingesting. Parents, don't take your children there. Arkansas government, shut this place down before more children can be damaged.