A mother and father in Alabama want to know how their 4-year-old daughter ingested so much ethanol at school and ended up in the ICU for two days.
Mary and Albert Singleton discussed their 4-year-old daughter’s case with local Fox affiliate WALA. Their ages were not disclosed. On Monday, Mary Singleton picked up her daughter from Mobile County Public Schools.
According to WALA, school officials called the Singletons two minutes before classes ended for the day to inform them of their daughter’s condition.
When Mary Singleton arrived at the school nurse’s office, she informed WALA that her daughter was limping.
Mary Singleton told WALA that her daughter “was slobbering at the mouth, she was heavy, and the teacher handed her to me saying we probably needed to take her to the ER.”
The terrified mother rushed her daughter to the hospital, where they performed a toxicology test and admitted the child. According to WALA, the couple provided the station with tests that revealed the 4-year-old had a blood alcohol content of.29, which is dangerously high.
The alcohol in the girl’s system was ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, which can be found in hand sanitizer, food packaging, and certain beauty and skin care products. While it is also a common solvent, ethanol is the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages.
The girl was treated in the ICU for two days before being released on Wednesday.
WALA reported that it was still unclear what the little girl ingested or how it came into her possession. When asked for comment, Mobile County Public Schools did not respond.
While no criminal charges have been filed yet, WALA reports that Prichard Police are looking into the incident. Prichard Police told WALA that they may refer the case to the Child Advocacy Center.
