"One Chip Challenge" Suspected in San Francisco Boy's Illness: How Dangerous Is This Snack?

One San Francisco family claims their 6th grader nearly had a seizure after taking the "One Chip Challenge" after eating the chip.

In order to lessen the searing feeling, the challenge from Austin, Texas-based tortilla chip manufacturer Paqui entails trying one of the spiciest chips in the world and waiting as long as you can before drinking anything.

The one chip is packaged in a coffin and is sure to startle your taste buds.

When John Pedigo received a call informing him that his kid had been poisoned at school, he was unaware that his son had accepted the challenge. When Pedigo arrived at the school and learned what had transpired, the fear dissipated, as reported by CBS News.

After eating the chip, he began breathing heavily and then began to throw up, according to his son Jack.

The Pedigos are grateful it wasn't worse, especially in light of recent news of a teen who may have died in Massachusetts as a result of the One Chip Challenge.

A Death in Massachusetts

Harris Wolobah, the 14-year-old son of Lois Wolobah, went to the school nurse on Friday after eating the chip, according to NBC news. Harris, a sophomore at Worcester, Massachusetts' Doherty Memorial High School, allegedly passed out at home that afternoon, according to Wolobah. He was pronounced dead at the hospital later that day, she said.

Now Off Store Shelves

Jack, on the other hand, has no intention of taking the challenge again. Meanwhile, Paqui made the decision to take the hot tortilla chip off store shelves officially on Thursday. Two of the world's spiciest peppers, the Carolina Reaper and the Naga Viper were used in the seasoning of the chips, which were sold individually.

How Dangerous Paqui Is (One Chip Challenge)?

Health experts warned the public about the danger ofThe One Chip Challenge, Paqui. It is not recommended for children, teenagers, or people with food allergies, sensitivity to spicy foods, or medical problems such as heart and lung disease. This snack is also not recommended for pregnant women.

(Photo: by OMAR TORRES/AFP via Getty Images)) Veronica Mendoza cooks "huitlacoche" (black mushroom that grows on corn) to make "quesadillas" with spinach and wheat bran tortillas at her restaurant in Mexico City on January 22, 2013.

People were challenged by Paqui's marketing to take part in the challenge by eating a chip, sharing images of their blue tongues on social media after eating the chip, and then delaying relieving the burn for as long as possible with water or other food. This continued until sales of the product were discontinued. The issue has existed since 2016 in some capacity.

The chip should not be consumed by minors, women who are pregnant, individuals who have underlying medical conditions, people who are sensitive to spicy food, or persons who are allergic to capsaicin, nightshades, or peppers in general, according to the product's label. The notice advised people to seek medical attention if they had trouble breathing, felt faint, or had prolonged nausea after eating the chip.

Additionally, the label advised anyone who handled the chip to wash their hands with soap and to refrain from contacting their eyes or other delicate regions.

The Scoville scale, which determines the heat units in a certain pepper, is used to gauge the spiciness of chili peppers. Around 1.7 million Scoville heat units are attributed to Carolina Reapers and 1.4 million to Naga Vipers. In contrast, a jalapeno pepper has up to 8,500 Scoville heat units.