ATLANTA — Students at Grady High School in Atlanta are apparently getting drunk from vanilla extract, the school posted on Facebook.
The post featured a picture of Trader Joe’s brand “Pure Bourbon Vanilla Extract,” which contains 35 percent alcohol.
“This is not an indictment of Trader Joe’s at all, but parents please be aware that this product contains 35% alcohol and we have discovered that some students have consumed this intoxicant. Another thing to keep an eye out for,” the post read.
School officials said that a few Grady students were caught getting drunk off vanilla extract this week. The teens bough the flavoring at a store close to the school and poured it in their coffee, Atlanta school officials said.
Atlanta school officials did not state how much of the vanilla extract students drank, but one student was reportedly hospitalized afterward. That student's parent removed them from Grady after the incident.
Last month, a Connecticut woman was charged with DUI after police found that she was drunk off vanilla extract.
The National Poison Control Center posted a warning on its website about the dangers of drinking vanilla extract, which contains the same type of alcohol found in beer, wine and hard liquor. Children who drink it could be at risk of alcohol poisoning, officials warn.
"When something says extract, or elixir, people should be aware that usually means there is alcohol in it," said Robert Geller, medical director for the Georgia Poison Center. "One four-ounce shot of vanilla extract is equal to drinking four shots of vodka."
When vanilla extract is made, vanilla beans are soaked in alcohol for days. Gellar said those four ounces are very potent.
"The vanilla extract is usually 35 percent or 70 proof. Vodka is usually 70 or 80 percent proof," Gellar explained.
The difference is, you're not carded to buy vanilla extract.
Other pantry items, including poppy seeds, nutmeg and wintergreen oil can also cause teens to become intoxicated if they over consume.
The alcohol proof in vanilla extract is the same for most pure flavoring extracts you buy at the store. When used for cooking, the alcohol dissolves, so the risk of getting drunk goes away. Most stores also offer alcohol-free options.
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