A mother and father from Alabama want to know how their 4-year-old daughter swallowed so much ethanol at school that she spent two days in the ICU.
Mary and Albert Singleton, whose ages were not disclosed, spoke with local Fox affiliate WALA about the situation of their 4-year-old daughter. On Monday, Mary Singleton picked up her daughter from Mobile County Public Schools. According to WALA’s reporting, school administrators called the Singletons two minutes before schools were dismissed for the day and informed them of their daughter’s health.
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 took her daughter to the hospital, where they performed a toxicology test and admitted the child. According to WALA, the pair gave the station with testing that proved the 4-year-old had a blood alcohol percentage of.29, which is dangerously high.
The alcohol in the girl’s system was ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, which may be found in hand sanitizer, food packaging, and certain beauty and skin care items. 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 said that it was still unclear what the little child swallowed or how it came into her possession. When approached for comment, Mobile County Public Schools did not answer.
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 forward the issue to the Child Advocacy Center.
