> The Paqui chip was seasoned with the Carolina Reaper pepper, the current hottest pepper in the world, and the Naga Viper pepper, which was the reigning hottest pepper in 2011 but is now merely among the top 10.
Apparently the Carolina Reaper has a capsaicin content of around 100mg/g [1] -- and each one weighs around 5 grams. 500mg capsaicin is a hell of a lot to take in a year, let alone in a sitting, and can certainly have systemic pharmacological effects via TRPV1 receptor activation.
Resiniferatoxin is a more potent TRPV1 activator than capsaicin -- and, as its name implies, it is dangerously toxic.
Your regular jalapeno pepper has a capsaicin content of 0.22mg/g.
I don't know how much capsaicin is in the chip, but it certainly seems to have been an unsafe amount.
100mg/g is 0.1g/g meaning 10% of whatever weight. That actually seem achievement of just what can be bred in a plant. Even if that is dry weight or something else getting plant to that level of something mostly useless for it is mind boggling.
What gets me here is that some company produced these chips and encouraged the challenge. I hope the company, and its founders, are held liable for the medical costs of all the teens who wound up in the hospital. And criminally liable for the death they caused
Pump the brakes a little. The article seems to accept that the chip is to blame, then right at the very end, burying the lede:
> Harris Wolobah's cause of death is not yet determined; it's not certain if the chip is to blame. An autopsy will be conducted, but the results could take up to 12 weeks, according to the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
The source/other articles [1][2][3] mention this particular chip has sent multiple other students to the hospital before. I mean, it’s _possible_ they all had some unrelated medical condition trigger/were secretly mainlining heroin/etc at the same time they ate the chip, but is it probable?
[1] https://archive.md/2CEum
That wasn't the end of the article. If you keep reading, you'll see references to several prior cases of peppers having induced (or at any rate being linked to) heart and brain problems in others.
How does a product like that get FDA approval and is just sold to anyone at a store? Even alcohol, which is safe in comparison, requires customers to show ID
Food operates on a default-allow system? Like if you create a new recipe for applie pie that contains ginger and just a hint of lemongrass, it's not like you need a special permission to sell that. Just need a general purpose permission to sell food.
There is no FDA approval process for food or food products. Dietary supplements, for example, are considered food products. In fact, The FDA has to depend on the federal trade commission whenever it wants to force something.
Also, maybe better regulate so that products that are lethal even if the consumer has no medical problems can’t be sold as snacks over the counter like this.
There is a psychological study, where two group of people are asked to do some task for pay. Afterward they have to rate how engaging was the task they have to do. The group who are paid well reported that the work was boring. While the group who are paid little reported that the task was fun and challenging.
The task was the same for both groups, but the first one justifies it by having compensation. While the second one by making the task fun or more cynically by deluding themselves that it has some kind of value.
Finally something living up to all that usual marketing...
But more seriously, if we are closing in on actually dangerous products. Maybe limiting the amount of active ingredients included in product might make sense from regulatory viewpoint. For example in some places amount of caffeine in energy drinks is limited.
I was talking with some of my Swedish friends the other day and we were both marveling that it is not a requirement to put caffeine amounts on American beverages. I get that sometimes it can be hard to measure but that is not a problem for energy drinks, and for when it is a problem just slap an (estimated) label on there. Given how powerfully it affects people (an extra 40 mg at the wrong time for me can cause me to be awake for more hours at a time) it feels insane that I have to look this up
I did the One Chip Challenge at Christmas. I did get a bunch of side effects (I got really dizzy, then I felt quite bad and then I threw up) from the level of spice in the chip. Which is strange because I can eat the spiciest foods from restaurants and usually enjoy them.
Here is a good article description of what to expect from the "One chip challenge", I can verify from experience that it is pretty spot on:
I have a delicate—err—question: isn't that level of spice consumption unpleasant on the way out? Maybe I've just heard too many Taco Bell jokes but there it is.
I threw up much of it and it was a little spicy on the way out but it wasn’t that bad compared to eating it. Also I do not remember too much discomfort out the other end related to spice. But I generally felt nauseous and my stomach hurt in general. And once it was out I felt better.
Ha, yes that’s a funny line. I think what they’re getting at is that in order to reduce your core temperature, your body will move hot blood to your skin and extremities, raising their temperature (and making you feel hot!). This increases the temperature difference to your surroundings and therefore speeds up heat loss.
The hot pepper linked to teen's death can cause arteries in the brain to spasm.
Life is chemistry.
At the risk of having some fool conclude we should regulate hot peppers as a drug: Capsaicin is an active ingredient in some topical pain meds.
Lack of muscle protein promotes insulin resistance. Sugar takes the edge off pain. Etc.
Enough of anything can kill you, even water. Water poisoning is a thing and people in the military tend to have heard of it and with heat waves sweeping the globe, it's making the radar of more people.
Readit News
Apparently the Carolina Reaper has a capsaicin content of around 100mg/g [1] -- and each one weighs around 5 grams. 500mg capsaicin is a hell of a lot to take in a year, let alone in a sitting, and can certainly have systemic pharmacological effects via TRPV1 receptor activation.
Resiniferatoxin is a more potent TRPV1 activator than capsaicin -- and, as its name implies, it is dangerously toxic.
Your regular jalapeno pepper has a capsaicin content of 0.22mg/g.
I don't know how much capsaicin is in the chip, but it certainly seems to have been an unsafe amount.
[1]-https://mendelnet.cz/pdfs/mnt/2017/01/96.pdf
What gets me here is that some company produced these chips and encouraged the challenge. I hope the company, and its founders, are held liable for the medical costs of all the teens who wound up in the hospital. And criminally liable for the death they caused
Pump the brakes a little. The article seems to accept that the chip is to blame, then right at the very end, burying the lede:
> Harris Wolobah's cause of death is not yet determined; it's not certain if the chip is to blame. An autopsy will be conducted, but the results could take up to 12 weeks, according to the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
That's a pretty big caveat.
[2] https://www.ketk.com/news/local-news/tyler-isd-one-chip-chal...
[3] https://amp.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article257...
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Shock is a very nasty mind over matter condition.
"Shock" as you're using it is extremely ambiguous. Perhaps you should define your terms.
You are clearly not referring to the class of medical emergencies known as circulatory shock.
Perhaps your comments refer to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_stress_disorder which is psychological, but no medical doctor will refer to this as "shock" without qualifying it.
Idiot: "I dare you!"
Intelligent person: "No, I choose not to torture myself."
Other idiot: "What are you, afraid??!"
Intelligent person: "Yes, I don't like pain and discomfort, and I don't see any reason to subject myself to it."
After a certain level of "heat", it's not food and shouldn't be treated as such.
To be fair, some of my favourite experiences have been preceded by pain, discomfort and risk.
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But more seriously, if we are closing in on actually dangerous products. Maybe limiting the amount of active ingredients included in product might make sense from regulatory viewpoint. For example in some places amount of caffeine in energy drinks is limited.
Here is a good article description of what to expect from the "One chip challenge", I can verify from experience that it is pretty spot on:
https://www.uhhospitals.org/blog/articles/2022/06/spicy-food...
"In its attempt to cool itself down, your body’s temperature will rise"
Not what I would have expected
Life is chemistry.
At the risk of having some fool conclude we should regulate hot peppers as a drug: Capsaicin is an active ingredient in some topical pain meds.
Lack of muscle protein promotes insulin resistance. Sugar takes the edge off pain. Etc.
Enough of anything can kill you, even water. Water poisoning is a thing and people in the military tend to have heard of it and with heat waves sweeping the globe, it's making the radar of more people.
In the UK, they are prescription only.
There's also a shortage of them so I've been unable to get any for a year.
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