A 14-year-old boy in Massachusetts died of a heart attack after he ate a tortilla chip containing a high concentration of a chemical compound found in chilli peppers. The incident happened last September. However, the cause of the boy's death was determined only on Thursday.
According to a report with CNN, the boy, identified as Harris Wolobah, was suffering from a congenital heart defect.
In September last year, he attempted Paqui's ultra-spicy "One Chip Challenge" when he ingested the tortilla chip seasoned with both the Carolina Reaper pepper and the Naga Viper pepper.
In a statement to CNN, the chief medical examiner's office on Thursday confirmed that Wolobah died of cardiopulmonary arrest after eating a food substance "with (a) high capsaicin concentration."
A Paqui spokesperson also told the publication that the challenge was intended only for adults.
"Paqui's One Chip Challenge was intended for adults only, with clear and prominent labelling highlighting that the product was not for children or anyone sensitive to spicy foods or with underlying health conditions," he said.
Capsaicin is the spicy, naturally occurring chemical in chilli peppers.
The Carolina Reaper Pepper ranks just under pepper spray on the Scoville scale, which measures the pungency of peppers and chillis.
The Naga Viper is a bit less pungent, coming in at around 1.2 million heat units on the scale, which is far spicier than a jalapeno pepper, which comes in at about 5,000 heat units, the report said.
