A group of students who took part in the One Chip Challenge during their lunch at a Holliston, Massachusetts, middle school on Monday were left in "physical distress," according to letters sent home from school officials.
It's the same social media challenge that's part of the investigation into the death of a Worcester teenager earlier this month. The maker of the spicy chip, Paqui, has since pulled the product from store shelves.
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At Holliston's Adams Middle School on Monday, a group of around 10 seventh grade students partook in the challenge during 7th grade lunch, Principal David Jordan of Robert said in a letter to the community. All were physically distressed in the moments that followed.
"My understanding is that, just from touching them, some of them had burn marks on their skin," Superintendent Susan E. Kustka told NBC10 Boston. "That is just how hot this– people don't realize how a chip could do so much. This is not a joke, this is a serious situation."
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Any of the students who ate or touched the chip were checked out by school nursing staff and picked up by their families, according to Jordan's note, dated Monday. The nurse told the students to go to the emergency room.
The fact that they had taken part in the One Chip Challenge "was discovered immediately due to the physical distress the chip created for all of the students involved," Jordan said.
Jordan urged parents to monitor their kids' social media presence and discourage them from having accounts, which he said can promote dangerous behavior.
"The 'One Chip Challenge' is another example of one of the highly risky, and sometimes life threatening, Tik Tok [sic] challenges that middle schoolers are particularly vulnerable to participating in due to their age-related development and interests. I ask that all families please speak to their children about the risks of 'challenges' of this nature and be aware that your child may have or may be considering participating in a challenge such as this," Jordan wrote.
Holliston is about 20 miles from Worcester, where Harris Wolobah died after going to the nurse's office at Doherty Memorial High School on Sept. 1. His mother told NBC10 Boston that Harris felt better after she took him home, but he later passed out and was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The Wolobah family suspects the One Chip Challenge played a part in Harris' death. An autopsy has been conducted on the teenager's body but the results are not expected for a few weeks.
Days after Harris' death, the Worcester District Attorney's Office issued a warning about the One Chip Challenge: "Medical professionals have said the tortilla chip, which is made from two of the spiciest chili peppers in the world, can cause very serious and dangerous side effects."
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School officials in Holliston cited the Worcester case in their communication to families.
"This was of serious concern, particularly given the recent death of a Worcester student who had taken this challenge last week. Thankfully, none of our students became seriously ill but this could have been much more serious," Kustka said in a statement dated Tuesday.
Dr. Christopher Velez, a gastroenterologist with Massachusetts General Hospital, emphasized Wednesday that the "troubling" chip challenge is extremely dangerous and can be deadly.
"Now that some people are having reactions to the skin, it makes me wonder that there may be something that is contained in this product that may be causing allergic reactions," he said.
Paqui's website and the chip's label note that the product is only intended for adults. It was being removed from shelves out of an abundance of caution, according to the company.
