The new drugs preventing allergic reactions to peanuts and other foods

Going To A Protest? Here's How To Protect Yourself Against Tear Gas, Pepper Spray

People who inhale pepper spray may develop a sudden elevation of blood pressure, which can lead to a stroke or heart attack, he added. Those with asthma also may be at higher risk for complications. Skin exposure can cause pain, redness, swelling and itching, according to the National Capital Poison Center.

Boy's Cause Of Death Revealed To Be Linked To Viral Spicy Chip Challenge

A Massachusetts teen's cause of death revealed to be linked to a TikTok challenge, that previously put an Oklahoma student in an ambulance.

Thursday, May 16th 2024, 3:17 pm

By: News 9, CBS News

A Massachusetts teen's cause of death was revealed to be linked to a TikTok challenge, that previously put an Oklahoma student in an ambulance.

The teen who participated in the "One Chip Challenge" died from cardiac arrest hours after eating the spicy tortilla chip, an autopsy concluded. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Harris Wolobah of Worcester had ingested a high amount of a chili pepper extract.

The 14-year-old died on Sept. 1, 2023. Chip maker Paqui pulled the product from store shelves days after his death.

Back in September 2023 paramedics arrived at Newcastle Middle School, to assist a student who had taken part in the "One Chip Challenge".

Related Coverage: You're Eating Pepper Spray:' Viral Spicy Chip Challenge Makes Its Way To Oklahoma

The TikTok challenge circulating among middle school students, is based around a single chip sold by a company called Paqui.

The chip is sold in a coffin-shaped box with a warning on the back for customers.

The Poison Control Center says it contains Capsaicin, a chili pepper extract, and two other types of peppers that cause mouth and throat pain.

This mixture of spices can also result in more serious health problems including heart attack or even death. "There's dangers involved here. It can cause life long effects for your digestive system. For this chip challenge there are measurements of heat for peppers & jalapenos up in the millions the same level as pepper spray. You're eating pepper spray," said Major Richard Rex, Oklahoma City Police Department Firefighter & Paramedic.

Parents of students confirmed the Newcastle middle schooler ate the chip in the bathroom and passed out. 

Moments later a 911 call was made to help the child. 

While the incident took place, Newcastle students were placed on lockdown inside their classrooms while paramedics worked on the child.

The Middle School issued a statement urging parents to talk to their kids about not participating in social media challenges and students who bring items and or entice others into accepting various challenges will face consequences.

Harris Wolobah's cause of death

Wolobah's cause of death was listed as cardiopulmonary arrest "in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration." 

Wolobah also had an enlarged heart and a congenital heart defect, the medical examiner found. 

The teen's mother, Lois Wolobah, told WBZ-TV last year that she got a call from the school nurse at Doherty High School, saying Harris fainted after eating the chip a friend gave him. He later passed out again at home and was taken to an emergency room where he died.

The family at the time said Wolobah was a healthy basketball player with no known allergies.

"I hope, I pray to God that no parents will go through what I'm going through. I don't want to see anybody hurting the way I'm hurting." Lois Wolobah said. "I miss my son so much. I miss him so much." 

What is the "One Chip Challenge"?

The "One Chip Challenge," which gained popularity on social media, contains a single chip inside a box labeled "Carolina Reaper" and "Naga Viper Pepper." On the back of the package a warning label says "Keep out of reach of children." WBZ-TV found the chips in a store about 10 minutes from Wolobah's school last fall.

"While the Paqui One Chip Challenge is intended for adults only, we have seen an increase in teen usage of the product," a Paqui spokesperson told WBZ-TV after Wolobah's death. "The product's label clearly states it is not for children or anyone sensitive to spicy foods or who has food allergies, is pregnant or has underlying health conditions."  

The One Chip Challenge was also blamed for "poisoning" a sixth-grade student in San Francisco last year. 

Is capsaicin dangerous?

Capsaicin is what makes chili peppers spicy and the level of capsaicin in a given product is measured in Scoville heat units. 

The tortilla chips in the "One Chip Challenge" are made with two of the hottest, with the Scoville heat unit ranging between 1.4 million and 2.2 million. Jalapeno peppers, by comparison, are only 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville. 

Capsaicin can obviously irritate the mouth and throat but can also cause nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain. But in very large doses, it can cause more serious problems such as allergic reactions, damage to the esophagus, rapid heart rate, chest pain, trouble breathing, and even heart attacks, the National Capital Poison Center says.

WBZ-TV's Dr. Mallika Marshall says that while the product is no longer in stores, parents should warn their kids to stay away from similar social media challenges and resist peer pressure to eat dangerously spicy foods. If you or your child develop trouble breathing or chest pain after eating capsaicin, call 911. 

Have Hay Fever? Look Out For Allergies To These Foods

Allergies to the pollen of trees and plants are common. But sometimes those allergies can progress and cause a reaction to eating particular raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes.

As the days get longer, the grass starts growing and blossom appears on trees, it's easy to be filled with the joys of spring. But for some, it's also when the all-too-familiar itchy eyes and runny nose returns. Hay fever is back – and just the sound of a nearby lawnmower is enough to bring on a sneeze or two. Just to add to their frustrations, hay fever sufferers may find they develop surprising food allergies alongside their sniffles.

Pollen food syndrome (also known as oral allergy syndrome) is perhaps more common than you'd think. While 20 percent of the UK are reported to be affected by hay fever at some point in their life, two percent of the UK population are also affected by the related food syndrome.

So, what causes it? What foods are you likely to be allergic to and how can you treat it?

Why would hay fever lead to food allergies?

When someone has hay fever, their body is having an IgE-mediated allergy. "IgE is an antibody that normally we produce, to fight parasitic infections like malaria. And for some reasons, people can develop them to things like pollen and get hay fever," explains Manchester University's Professor Clare Mills.

The problem is, some foods have proteins which are very similar to those in pollen, and when some people with hay fever consume them – especially when they're raw – their bodies effectively think they're ingesting pollen. Amena Warner is head of clinical services at the charity, AllergyUK and explains: "The fault is with the immune system which defends itself by having an allergic reaction."

What are the symptoms?

People with pollen food allergy can expect swelling and itching inside the mouth, throat and ears. This will happen shortly after consuming the food. For most people, the symptoms are mild and will pass relatively quickly (especially with the aid of an antihistamine). However, for an unfortunate few, symptoms can go further. "In some cases, it causes very severe reactions," says Warner, highlighting that this could include breathing difficulties. Thankfully, this is relatively rare.

If you have hay fever are there other factors that could lead to you developing allergies to ingredients? Mills is currently carrying out research examining the patterns and prevalence of allergies in adults – including the onset of pollen-related food allergies. Mills explains they tend to impact adults more than children. "Whether that's because you have to have been around for a certain length of time to kind of be exposed to the differences in pollens, we're not sure yet, but it's often something people start developing in their 20s-40s.

"They are largely – not exclusively – but largely, related to having an allergy to pollen of trees like birch and alder. There is a molecule in fruit particularly, that is a lookalike of a molecule in the pollen that causes hay fever. Many years ago, in Sweden, they found that something like 70 percent of people who had birch pollen allergy also would react to eating fresh apples."

However, it's not just the individual but what they are exposed to. Mills explains: "We showed in a study that the level of that molecule increases in apples that have been stored in a modified atmosphere. One of the nice things about this type of storage is it enables us to eat apples in March, which we wouldn't ordinarily be able to do, but unfortunately, they have much higher levels of this allergen."

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This depends on the type of pollen you're allergic to, though generally speaking it's raw fruit, vegetables, legumes and nuts. AllergyUK have a helpful fact sheet detailing the pollens together with the foods that can cause a reaction. They are:

Tree pollen: Apple, apricot, cherry, coriander, kiwi, nectarine, parsley, peach, pear, plum, strawberry, celery, bean sprouts, carrot, mangetout, green pepper, potato, soya, tomato, parsnip, peas, basil, coriander, fennel, oregano, parsley, paprika, pepper, thyme.

Grass pollen: Kiwi, melon, orange, watermelon, date, potato, swiss chard, tomato, wheat, peas, peanut.

Weed pollen: Apple, melon, orange, peach, tomato, watermelon, celery, carrot, green pepper, onion, sunflower seed, aniseed, celery salt, mustard, spices, coriander, fennel, parsley.

Not sure what type of pollen you're allergic to? That probably comes down to when you are allergic, if it's March – late May it's likely to be tree pollen, if it's May – July than grass pollen and if it's June – September weed pollen. Of course, you could be allergic to more than one type of pollen, there is a cross over during these periods and environmental factors can alter the dates – for example if it's a particularly wet/dry spring.

"While we all know that there are people who have anaphylactic reactions to peanuts, not so many know that some people have the same response to peaches," explains Mills. "This is something we've seen in the Mediterranean area. In fact British people who may spend a large proportion of their year in Spain can get this kind of allergy and in some instances, they won't just react to peach but they'll react to other fruits and vegetables - everything from lettuce and cabbage to peaches, apricots, plums and cherries… They can give severe reactions which aren't removed by cooking."

Like peanuts, if you have an allergic response to peaches you need to take it seriously. While for many it will be due to pollen food syndrome, for an unlucky few it won't and could have severe consequences.

If you think you have pollen food syndrome

"If anybody has severe allergic reactions to food, they must go and get it sorted out," says Warner, matter-of-factly. "You must seek advice from a healthcare professional who will conduct tests."

Warner warns though that you shouldn't be tempted to pay for unregulated tests: "There are a lot of tests you can have done through the internet where you might send a hair sample and you get 500 allergens tested, but many are unvalidated… They relieve people from a lot of their money, but it won't give the important information that they need on how to deal with their allergy and it puts them at risk."

This is a view backed up by the British Dietetic Association who explain: "There are also many commercially available tests that claim to diagnose food hypersensitivity. You should avoid these because they have no scientific basis. They can be harmful when multiple foods are excluded without reason, or if they are not reintroduced under guidance of a dietitian."

Originally published April 2022

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