10 Kids Hospitalized After Chewing Pepper Gum

Ten children at a Massachusetts elementary school were rushed to the hospital Tuesday after they came into contact with spicy bubble gum, which officials say is part of a viral TikTok challenge.

6 of the students were brought to the hospital by ambulance. Parents responding to pick-up other kids that didn’t go to the hospital were met with their kids vomiting from the gum.

It was determined that several students were having a reaction to an extremely spicy bubble gum brought to recess by a student. The gum contains pepper extract measuring 16 million Scoville heat units. It nearly equates eating pepper spray, according to local Fire Chief James Young Jr.

At least 10 students were hospitalized in the incident, which officials say they have never seen before in western Massachusetts.

“Nobody knew what they were dealing with. Nobody had heard of this.

Young said the gum “can cause skin irritation, as well as respiratory and airway inflammation.”

In a Facebook post, the Southborough Police Department identified the gum involved as CaJohns Trouble Bubble Bubble Gum. The gum is reportedly used in a TikTok challenge where contenders try to blow a bubble, despite the gum’s heat. It’s sold at popular online retailers, including Amazon.

Officials say that it’s important that conversations take place between parents and children about these kinds of situations.

“Kids are curious, and they’re going to investigate things like this but they shouldn’t be bringing things like this to school,” Young said.

Police say the school is handling the investigation. In a statement, the superintendent said that appropriate disciplinary action will be taken upon the completion of the investigation.

The packaging for the gum says it’s manufactured for CaJohns Foods. Both the packaging and website contain warnings about the product that say, among other things, that it is extremely dangerous, should not be consumed by children and contains pepper extract that “should be handled with extreme caution.”