10:58 AM, September 6, 2025.
A child was served concentrated dish detergent instead of water at a preschool in Sande, Vestfold county, Norway. The child was later hospitalized.
The preschool has explained that they had confused a jug of water with a jug full of dish detergent, according to Drammens Tidende[1].
—“When the child was given something to drink, it unfortunately came from a misidentified container of concentrated dish detergent, which was poorly marked, incorrectly placed, and not checked by the person pouring it. No other children were served dish detergent,” the preschool writes in a statement to the parents.
The preschool says that the mistake was quickly discovered, and that the child drank no more than one or two sips of the dish detergent. The preschool contacted poison control for advice but did not call 113 [emergency number for ambulances]; it was the child’s parents who called 113 when they arrived, and the child was hospitalized.
The newspaper writes that the child was discharged from the hospital after a few days, but is now back at the hospital for further treatment.
Drammens Tidende has contacted the head of the preschool, who directed them to the central offices of Læringsverkstedet. Læringsverkstedet is a chain of preschools[2].
—“We are first and foremost deeply sorry for what has happened, and we are now focused on caring for the child and family,” writes Læringsverkstedet’s leader of public relations Ragnar Sagdahl.