Students at a middle school in Edina, MN tried the “One Chip” challenge last week and the school had to call the paramedics. Thankfully, none of the students had to be taken to the hospital, but many had difficulty breathing and eye pain. And let’s not forget all of the pain if it comes up again! I can’t talk about it; I’m getting PTSD. The company that makes the chip, Paqui, says you should keep it out of reach of children, but the “One Chip” challenge is all the rage on TikTok and that’s the demographic that is trying the chip right now. Junior high school students, high school punks, and radio DJs are doing it in the masses. Having done the challenge myself, I can say it was by far, the worst pain I’ve been in, in well, decades. I was only more scared of dying when I had pneumonia when I was 18. It burns your mouth first, gripping your tongue with extreme pain, so much that you have to walk around non-stop. Then your stomach takes the wrath. If you can keep it down, do that! It wasn’t until I had firehose projectile out of my mouth that things got really severe. My eyes watered, then I couldn’t see out of my left eye. I spent a good 45 minutes in the fetal position in an office with the lights off. My nose was leaking, I couldn’t stop sweating, and I had to take long, slow, deep breaths. Thankfully, someone brought me milk, so I was able to navigate the pain. All I can say is, I don’t know how this thing is legal! Seriously!
Poison control says the dangerous ingredient is capsaicin. Their website says, “capsaicin, is a compound found naturally in chili peppers. When eaten in high concentrations, capsaicin can cause anything from mild mouth and throat pain to intestinal and throat irritation, or even, in extreme cases, heart palpitations and heart attacks.” GREAT! This chip could give someone a heart attack? That’s right. All for the low, low price of $10, and your overall health. -Ali
