An autopsy for a 14-year-old in Massachusetts is gaining attention after it revealed that the teen died after participating in a spicy chip challenge while having a congenital heart defect, AP News reports.
The chief medical examiner’s office confirmed the autopsy with CNN, saying the teen died “of cardiopulmonary arrest after eating a food substance ‘with (a) high capsaicin concentration.’”
The chip in question belonged to the Paqui company and was sold in a coffin-shaped box with a warning note that it was only for adult consumption, according to NBC News. But children around the country could buy them and multiple children were taken to hospitals after eating it.
The chip was sold under the name “One Chip Challenge” and it marketed to consumers by challenging them to try the spicy chip, The Washington Post reports.
In Minnesota, seven students needed medical attention after eating the chip, and in California, three other students got sent to the hospital, per NBC News.
Why are spicy food challenges so popular?
According to AP News, the One Chip Challenge gained popularity due to “people posting videos on social media of them or their friends taking the challenge. They showed people, including children, unwrapping the packaging, eating the chips and then reacting to the heat. Some videos showed people gagging, coughing and begging for water.”
“Spicy food challenges have been around for years,” according to AP News, with examples being local chile pepper eating contests and dares by friends, but there is also a kind of rush that comes from the competitive and risky nature.
CNN reports that chile peppers have a chemical known as capsaicin and all peppers are ranked on the Scoville scale for spiciness and hotness.
The Alimentarium Food Museum explains that the chemical itself is the second spiciest thing on the list, above pepper spray and in the “harmful” area with 16,000,000 scoville heat units, or shu. Peppers in the “dangerous” area of the chart includes the Carolina reaper (1,500,000 shu), whereas the jalapeño (5,000 shu) and tabasco sauce (3,750 shu) are further to the bottom of the chart.
Elisa Trucco from Florida International University, an associate professor of psychology, told AP News in 2023 that “extremely spicy products created and marketed solely for the challenges — and possible internet fame — is a more recent phenomenon, and teens are particularly exposed to them because of social media. ... You see a lot of ‘likes’ or comments (indicating) social status or popularity from these challenges, but you don’t see a lot of the negative consequences — like the trips to the E.R. or other injuries.”
To better protect children from internet challenges that cause harm or endanger lives, Vanderbilt University advises parents to watch and monitor their children’s internet use and educate themselves on current online trends and discuss them with their kids.