A 14-year-old boy whose family said he ate a chip made from two of the world’s hottest peppers died of cardiopulmonary arrest, according to a medical examiner’s report released Thursday, which notes that he had eaten a spicy substance and had a heart condition.
The report reveals that the teen, Harris Wolobah, of Worcester, Massachusetts, died on September 1. 1 of “cardiopulmonary arrest in the context of recent ingestion of a food substance with a high concentration of capsaicin in a person suffering from cardiomegaly and myocardial bypass of the left anterior descending coronary artery”.
Capsaicin is the chemical compound found in chili peppers that causes a burning sensation. Cardiomegaly is commonly called an enlarged heart. And myocardial bypass refers to a coronary artery that passes through a band of heart muscle instead of resting on it.
The Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said the manner of death “could not be determined.” Examples of deaths in other cases include “natural,” “accident,” and “homicide.”
Lois Wolobah, Harris’ mother, declined to comment on the report Thursday. She previously said she believed the Paqui brand tortilla chips her son had handed out hours before his death were putting his health at risk.
The chip, sprinkled with two very hot peppers, the Carolina Reaper and the Naga Viper, had a label on the box that read “One Chip Challenge” and carried a warning: “Inside: Extremely Hot Chip.” It was presented in a coffin-shaped box that bore the image of a skull with a snake coiled around it.
Marketing materials for the chip encouraged customers to wait as long as possible after eating the chip before eating or drinking anything, then posting their reactions on social media.
In an interview in September, Ms. Wolobah said her son’s school called to report that he was sick and that she needed to come pick him up. When she arrived, Harris was holding her stomach in the nurse’s office, she said.
Ms Wolobah said she took her son home, but after about two hours he passed out and was rushed to hospital, where he died.
Paqui chips were manufactured by Amplify Snack Brands, a subsidiary of the Hershey Company.
About a week after Harris’ death, the company said it was removing the chip from store shelves “out of an abundance of caution” and offering refunds for the product, which cost about $9.99 for a single serving .
“We were and remain deeply saddened by the death of Harris Wolobah and extend our condolences to his family and friends,” Paqui said in a statement Thursday. “Paqui’s One Chip Challenge was intended for adults only, with clear and prominent labeling emphasizing that the product was not intended for children or anyone with sensitivities to spicy foods or with underlying health conditions.”
After the company said it “saw an increase in reports of teens and others not heeding these warnings,” it worked with retailers to remove the product from shelves, and “the One Chip Challenge was interrupted.”
