Warning after teenager dies during TikTok 'One Chip Challenge'

[Eleazar]

Warning after teenager dies during TikTok 'One Chip Challenge'

Parents told to keep children away from the dangerously spicy £20 tortilla sold in a box shaped like a coffin

Rozina Sabur
DEPUTY US EDITOR
5 September 2023






Parents are being warned about the dangers of TikTok’s “One Chip Challenge” after a boy died after eating a dangerously spicy tortilla.

The challenge involves eating what is said to be the hottest tortilla chip on the planet and then abstaining from eating or drinking anything to ease the pain for as long as possible.

Participants have shared their reactions on social media in a craze that has gained more than two billion views on TikTok.

Experts are warning against the trend after 14-year-old Harris Wolobah, of Worcester, Massachusetts, died on Sept 1 after taking part in the challenge.

The boy was taken ill at school with severe stomach ache and was taken home by his mother, Lois. He collapsed a few hours later and was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Ms Wolobah told NBC10 Boston that the family believes Harris died of complications from the chip challenge, although the teenager’s cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

The single, large blue tortilla chip is sold by the brand Paqui and comes in a box shaped like a coffin.

The chip-maker has been encouraging people to try the challenge since 2016 and releases a new flavour each year.



Its new line became available online last month and combines two of the world’s hottest peppers.

The “vicious” crisp “contains the super-charged Carolina Reaper Pepper and stinging Scorpion Pepper”, the brand’s website states.

The UK’s Food Standards Agency said it was aware of reports of people being sent to hospital in agony after taking part in the viral online dare.

Tina Potter, head of incidents at the agency, told the Telegraph: “It’s important that food is consumed as intended and that consumers follow any consumer advice on any food labelling or packaging.

“If there is any unsafe food on the market we’ll take rapid action to ensure it is removed and alert consumers.”

Paqui’s infamous crisps have previously been banned by numerous school districts in the US, but are available for purchase online.

While Paqui’s website states the product is only available in the US and Canada, it is also available from vendors like eBay and Amazon for delivery to the UK.

The £20 product from Paqui comes with a warning that it is “intended for adult consumption” and should be kept out of reach of children.

However, social media is rife with videos of children undertaking the challenge.

One TikTok user with the handle @*angela_b157 posted a video showing a young girl in tears after being egged on to eat the blue crisp by her family.

Later on a video shows the girl being taken to hospital, where she was reportedly treated for hours to ease her intense stomach pain.

Several US states, including California, Texas and Alabama have seen hospitalisations linked to the challenge.

5Rights, a British children’s charity founded by Baroness Kidron, has also sounded the alarm.

Leanda Barrington-Leach, director of international advocacy at the charity, warned about social media services promoting “risky content, contacts and conduct to and among children”.

She said: “This must change, by bringing forward robust legislation that requires redesigning the online world with children’s rights and needs in mind.”

The California Reaper Pepper is ranked as the world’s spiciest, with up to 2.2 million heat units (SHUs) on the Scoville Scale.

The Naga Viper Pepper is just below at 1,382,118 SHUs.

The scale measures the strength of various peppers relative to capsaicin, the major active compound that gives chillies their heat.

The body’s reaction includes swelling, nausea, vomiting, eye pain, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, heartburn from acid reflux, and headaches.

Experts say the side effects are a result of the body considering the stimulus from capsaicin to be a real burn.

Individual cells in the mouth and digestive system might respond to the stimulus by releasing chemicals which cause additional irritation.

Paqui, a Texas-based brand owned by The Hershey Company, has previously said it takes “safety very seriously” and has “worked hard” to ensure its products are properly “labelled with allergen and safety information”.

The company added: “It is our intent that consumers take on this challenge with a full understanding of what it is and if it is appropriate for them.”

Paqui advises anyone who has difficulty breathing, faints or has extended nausea to seek medical assistance.



https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-ne...achusetts-boy/

[suzzer99]

Originally Posted by TLO

What killed the woman that drank the water?

Water poisoning is a thing.

https://www.today.com/health/news/wa...eath-rcna99472

[Rasputin]

Originally Posted by Jewish Rabbi

Probably a Patriots fan

I hope it was a Bengals fan sth



I'd say bronco or Raiders fan but I'm enjoying watching them suffer twice a year losing to my favorite team The Kansas City Chiefs

[DJ's left nut]

Have done this before:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Man - those things taste like SHIT.

5 minutes of screaming agony, another 5 of a fair amount of discomfort, then another 15-20 or so of dull burn.

Chewing is fine but as soon as you actually ingest it, the heat hits like a damn truck. And because it tastes like ass, you just have this burning vomit sensation. And I got the hiccups - that didn't help. Eyes watered a fair amount but I didn't break out in a sweat or have the streaming nose thing.

Definitely hotter than anything else I've eaten, especially for the first few minutes. But not the long-term agony I thought it might be.

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Postscript - it appears to have burned its way through my stomach lining and I’m pretty sure I’m now dying.

So yeah, go ahead and add T+45 minutes = gastrointestinal hell on earth.

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

So yeah - as a weight loss tool this thing would be excellent.

Apart from taking like 7 shits in the last 18 hours, I have had no desire whatsoever to eat anything.

I wouldn't be surprised if I'm down 2-3 lbs from the experience.

Happy to say that I've done it. Do not have any plans on doing it again. As has been noted, the stomach issues were just ghastly. And they came and went; it wasn't like a constant burn. It was 20 minutes of nothing, a warning grunt and then 5 minutes of hellish cramps and burning. Then rinse and repeat.

I will never be doing this again. It was not fun.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Have done this before:








I will never be doing this again. It was not fun.

Even if [checks wallet] I wave a $5 bill in front of you?

[neech]

The company, a subsidiary of Hershey, noted it has seen an increase in teens participating in the challenge, "not heeding these warnings," and as a result, is working to remove the product from stores "out of an abundance of caution," while offering refunds on its single-serve "One Chip Challenge" product.

Like people actually do what the warning labels say. Stupid people are going to be stupid right.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/fox-news...achusetts-teen

[Megatron96]

**** him. Darwin would appreciate his sacrifice