# Elementary school serves floor sealant to students instead of milk **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 16, 2022, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304 "2022-06-16T15:04:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/21 "2022-06-16T22:08:53Z")
You know what _could_ have stopped a _bad_ cafeteria worker with floor sealant ?? Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/22 "2022-06-16T22:10:02Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > You know what _could_ have stopped a _bad_ cafeteria worker with floor sealant ?? A Uvalde police officer, by the end of the semester. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/23 "2022-06-16T22:38:26Z")
Those were the norm both when I was in college in the late 60s and also in the military. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/24 "2022-06-16T22:52:17Z")
I guess I’m stuck on something … decidedly OT: “**[Arredondo](https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/01/us/uvalde-shooting-police-chief-pete-arredondo/index.html)**,” in Spanish, means _around._ And whatever else you might say critically about Chief Pete Arredondo … when kids were dying in Uvalde … he _was_ around. :sad face: ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/25 "2022-06-16T23:06:26Z")
In my college through the 1980s. Never got floor sealant though. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/26 "2022-06-16T23:07:09Z")
More like Alaska imitates [India](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bihar_school_meal_poisoning_incident). ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/27 "2022-06-16T23:31:00Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > OK, even granted that those are Canadian dollars, all of those prices are way higher than in the US. One of the issues in Canada is the tight control of the dairy market by the Canadian Dairy Commission. Canada is usually pretty good about protecting the consumer, especially in areas like pharmaceuticals, but there are a few glaring exceptions, and the industry-dominated Dairy Commission is one of them. > **[Canadian Dairy Commission announces unprecedented 8.4% increase in the price...](https://www.retailcouncil.org/community/grocery/canadian-dairy-commission-announces-unprecedented-8-4-increase-in-the-price-of-milk/)** > > The Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC) announced on Friday, October 29 an unprecedented 8.4% increase in the cost of milk used to make dairy products for the retail and restaurant sectors effective February 1, 2022. This will impact some categories like... ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/28 "2022-06-16T23:53:35Z")
From doing some quick Googling, it appears there are three types of floor sealant: those based on polyurethane, those based on solvents, and those that are water-based. The first two are quite toxic, the water-based one not so much, so presumably that’s what the kids drank or they’d likely have been poisoned. It typically consists of an alcohol ester (alcohol + carboxylic acid), earth pigments, preservative, silica, surfactant, and water. No idea if any of these ingredients might pose a risk of long-term effects, but most likely the kids will be fine. Still, heads should roll. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/29 "2022-06-17T01:15:48Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > “Also, we have lost nearly $100 replacing the sealant that was served as milk.” Somewhere, there is a floor sealed with milk. How well does that work? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/30 "2022-06-17T01:27:05Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > How well does that work? As well as milking a seal? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/31 "2022-06-17T02:17:16Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > makes them a big easier I know it’s a typo, but I love it. I seriously shall be using this expression for the rest of my life. “It’s a **big** easier.” Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/32 "2022-06-17T02:33:34Z")
I also saw a variation of those when I was in college, and worked in a restaurant. I was the only woman there who could lift those crates with a full bag in them by myself. 💪 On a serious note, I just can’t comprehend how anyone could make a mistake like this. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/33 "2022-06-17T02:46:18Z")
This reminds me of a cartoon I saw years ago: A train of tank cars is rumbling towards a distant city on the horizon. Each car is labeled, “All-Purpose Manufacturer’s Paste. Good for floor wax, dessert topping, grout, sealant, cake icing, glue, lubricant…” ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/34 "2022-06-17T03:03:39Z")
“Hey, you want a drink?” _cough, cough!_ “That’s good shit, huh? Dozer makes it. It’s good for two things: Degreasing engines and killing brain cells.” ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/35 "2022-06-17T03:11:07Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Shortly after, children began complaining that the milk tasted bad and caused burning sensations in their mouths and throats. I don’t want to make light of this, but since I’m not the first to break out the Simpsons references: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YE5mlNCRe9A/hqdefault.jpg "It Tastes like burning...") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE5mlNCRe9A) ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/36 "2022-06-17T03:13:25Z")
Test it by dropping a cookie on it and see how it crumbles. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/37 "2022-06-17T06:00:39Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > As well as milking a seal? “Looks like you blew a seal.” “It’s _ice cream_ and anyway, it’s none of your business.” ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/38 "2022-06-17T07:46:13Z")
Well at least this wasnt that incident a few years ago where a high school student before school ejaculated in the ranch dressing tub that was to be used for the school lunches salads, and it was only caught after multiple students complained the ranch tastes funny. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/39 "2022-06-17T08:10:46Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > OK, even granted that those are Canadian dollars, all of those prices are way higher than in the US. Around here, the family-sized container of milk is 1 gallon (about 3.8 liters), and if it goes over $3.49, that’s considered expensive. According to Google, your “cheap” price is currently the equivalent of [6.79 USD/gal](https://www.google.com/search?q=%289.29canadian+dollar%29+%2F%284+liters%29to+%28US+dollar%29%2Fgallon&sxsrf=ALiCzsb6ma1alYPPVgIwuryRZ2oHP24akA%3A1655416775964&ei=x6erYva8Oq-o5NoPvO2pyAk&ved=0ahUKEwi2vIuH_LL4AhUvFFkFHbx2CpkQ4dUDCA0&uact=5&oq=%289.29canadian+dollar%29+%2F%284+liters%29to+%28US+dollar%29%2Fgallon&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAM6BQghEKABOgUIIRCrAjoECCMQJzoHCCEQChCgAUoECEEYAUoECEYYAFCUCFjQemDTiQFoAnAAeACAAfYBiAGEF5IBBzEwLjE1LjGYAQCgAQGgAQLAAQE&sclient=gws-wiz). Milk is heavily subsidized in the US, and one of the reasons is explicitly to keep the price lower than it would be otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304/40 "2022-06-17T12:31:36Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > It’s for real. I saw it in the Anchorage Daily News yesterday. Luckily for all involved, this stuff is not very toxic and only mild stomach upset was reported. “It’s only _mildly_ toxic” sounds like an excellent defense [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-serves-floor-sealant-to-students-instead-of-milk/966304.md?page=3)