'One Chip Challenge' led to the death of teen Harris Wolobah, state official says

Massachusetts officials said a teen's death last year was due to his participation in the viral One Chip Challenge.Fourteen-year-old Harris Wolobah's death, was in part, a result of the chip's spice, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety.

On Sept. 1, Harris was found unresponsive by police after eating a corn chip dusted in Carolina Reaper pepper and Naga Viper pepper, as part of a social media "One Chip Challenge" created by the company Paqui. Wolobah died at a hospital later that day.

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety told USA TODAY on Thursday that Wolobah's death was caused by a heart attack brought on by eating the hot chip. The 10th grader also had a condition that caused him to have an enlarged heart, as well as a heart defect where an artery goes through the heart's muscle instead of lying on the surface of the heart.

Harris' "cardiopulmonary arrest" happened "in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration," OCME spokesperson Elaine Driscoll told USA TODAY.

Capsaicin is another word for chili pepper extract.

A spokesperson at chip company Paqui told USA TODAY the One Chip Challenge was labeled meant for adults only.

“We were and remain deeply saddened by the death of Harris Wolobah and extend our condolences to his family and friends," spokesperson Kim Metcalfe said. "Paqui’s One Chip Challenge was intended for adults only, with clear and prominent labeling highlighting that the product was not for children or anyone sensitive to spicy foods or with underlying health conditions."

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What was the Paqui One Chip Challenge?

In 2023, the chip brand Paqui was advertising its "One Chip Challenge," in which consumers try to eat an entire tortilla chip coated with flakes from the extremely spicy Carolina Reaper pepper and Naga Viper pepper.

After Harris' death in September, the chip company worked with retailers to remove the hot chips from store shelves, and the challenge was discontinued, Metcalfe said.

In social media posts that predated the teen's death, users dared one another to try to eat the chip and to see how long they can keep from eating or drinking anything else afterwards.

In 2023, the chip company's homepage included a label warning that said the following:

• The chip is for adult consumption only and should be kept "out of reach of children."
• People sensitive to spicy foods or who are allergic to "peppers, night shades or capsaicin" should not eat the chip.
• The chip is not for pregnant people.
• The chip should not be consumed by anyone who has a medical condition.

On Thursday, Metcalfe said the product adheres to food safety standards, and that last year, despite the warnings, the company "saw increased reports of teens and other individuals not heeding these warnings."