A 14-year-old from Massachusetts died hours after taking part in the “One Chip Challenge,” a viral social media trend that involves a person eating a spicy snack.
Harris Wolobah, a sophomore at Doherty Memorial High School in Worcester, ate the extremely spicy Paqui chip at school on Sept. 1 and died hours later.
The teen’s family suspects the challenge to eat the chip, which includes Carolina Reaper pepper and Scorpion Chile pepper as its ingredients, played a role in his sudden death.
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After eating the chip, Harris reportedly started to experience a stomach ache. A school nurse called the boy’s family, and he was sent home. While they thought he was getting better, reports show Harris was getting ready to go to basketball tryouts when he passed out in front of his brother.
His mother Lois Wolobah, said they rushed him to the closest hospital, where medical professionals pronounced him dead, according to NBC 10 Boston. Harris’ cause of death is still pending. Wolobah believes the hot pepper killed her son.
Dr. Lauren Rice of Tufts Medical Center says the chip could be dangerous.
“It could cause difficulty with breathing. I think it could cause issues with the esophagus,” Rice said.
The Carolina Reaper pepper is one of the hottest peppers in the world. The makers of Paqui have a warning on the label that only adults should eat the chip, and if someone is experiencing any discomfort, they should see a doctor.
Paqui, a Texas tortilla chip maker, introduced the “One Chip Challenge” in 2016 as a way to market the item. The chip also contains capsaicin, an active ingredient in chili peppers that is used in pepper spray and bear spray, according to the National Capital Poison Center. It is…
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