HOLLISTON, MASS. (WHDH) - School officials said a group of students participated in the same viral challenge a Worcester teen reportedly tried hours before his death earlier this month.
The superintendent of Holliston Public Schools alerted families that a group of middle school students at Robert Adams Middle School got sick after the “One Chip Challenge.”
“This was of serious concern, particularly given the recent death of a Worcester student who had taken this challenge,” Superintendent Susan E. Kustka wrote in a statement to families. “Thankfully, none of our students became seriously ill, but this could have been much more serious.”
“One Chip Challenge” involves eating a single tortilla chip with two of the hottest peppers, Carolina Reaper peppers and Naga Viper peppers, which together amount to millions of Scoville Units.
14-year-old Harris Wolobah of Worcester participated in the challenge and got sick, his family said. He stopped breathing hours later at his home. The cause of death has not been announced yet.
Paqui, the company behind the chip and the challenge, has since pulled the product off the shelves. It is not known how the group of Holliston middle school students got the chip.
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