‘One Chip Challenge’ prompts warning from Wellesley school officials

WELLESLEY, Mass. — School officials in Wellesley are warning students about the dangers of the newest social media craze known as the “One Chip Challenge.”

In a letter sent home to parents on Thursday, Wellesley Public Schools Superintendent David Lussier said the challenge involves a person eating one extremely spicy tortilla chip made from some of the hottest peppers in the world.

These peppers include the Carolina Reaper, Scorpion and/or Ghost peppers, which are ingredients also found in pepper spray.

The challenge can cause serious side effects including severe coughing, asthma, serious burning of the eyes and mouth and vomiting, according to health officials. The chip also causes the the tongue to turn blue.

The tortilla chip is manufactured by a company called PAQUI and is available in stores and online. The chips do have a warning label that reads “keep out of reach of children.”

Superintendent Lussier says there have been reports of hospitalizations from eating this chip in other communities and he strongly encourages parents to talk to their children about participating in such a challenge.

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