Parents should discuss ‘One Chip Challenge’ with their children, Worcester DA says after teen’s death

In the wake of 14-year-old Harris Wolobah’s death, following his participation in the “One Chip Challenge,” Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. is recommending parents discuss the viral challenge with their children.

On Friday, the Worcester sophomore ate the extremely spicy Paqui Chips product at Doherty Memorial High School and felt sick. He was sent home from school, and hours later, he fainted and died.

While the cause and manner of Harris’ death has not yet been confirmed through autopsy, his family believes he died of health “complications” from eating the chip.

“While the investigation into the cause of the teenager’s death in Worcester continues, the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office would like to remind parents to research and discuss with your children about the one-chip challenge,” Early wrote on Facebook Wednesday.

The tortilla chip — which is made with some of the hottest peppers in the world — is part of a Paqui Chips promotion called the “One Chip Challenge.” The challenge dares participants to eat the chip and see how long they can go without eating or drinking.

Participants are encouraged to film their experience and post it on social media — a practice which has become popular on TikTok in recent years. Last year when the challenge experienced a resurgence, schools across the country reported sending students to the hospital after they ate the chip.

“We urge parents to discuss this with their children and advise them not to partake in this activity,” Early wrote.

Early highlighted the fact that the chip is made from two of the hottest peppers in the world — the Carolina Reaper and the Naga Viper. The chemical that makes them hot is called capsaicin, and in large amounts, the National Capital Poison Center warns, it can cause serious health problems.

Capsaicin is measured in Scoville Heat Units, or SHUs, where up to 2,000 SHUs is considered mild, and 1.5 million SHUs is considered extremely hot. While the chip itself does not have a Scoville rating, both peppers contain some of the highest amounts of capsaicin of any pepper currently on the market. Naga Vipers measure 1.4 million SHUs and Carolina Reapers measure 1.7 SHUs.

Early also pointed out that Paqui Chips warns against eating the chip if you are a minor, are allergic to peppers or capsaicin, or have any health problems. Notably, Harris’ parents have said he had no pre-existing conditions or allergies. Additionally, there is nothing stopping minors from buying the chips.

On Wednesday, for the first time since Harris’ death, the Hershey Company, whose subsidiary owns Paqui Chips, commented on the teen’s death.

“We are deeply saddened by the news report and express our condolences to the family,” the company said in a statement. “It would be inappropriate for us to speculate or comment further.”