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Really? Six peppers caused this?

(CNN) -- Police cars and fire trucks surrounded Jefferson County Open School in Colorado Monday, as hazmat crews decontaminated students outside -- spraying them down, fully clothed, in cordoned-off sections under a blue tent.
Students coming in after recess had reported eye and skin irritations. Thirty kids and a teacher's aide were eventually treated for symptoms similar to an allergic reaction, according to CNN affiliate KUSA. A handful were taken to the hospital. The rest were evacuated to a church down the street.
The K-12 Colorado school remained closed on Tuesday as investigators tried to figure out what "toxic irritant" had been released on the playground.
They quickly figured out that it wasn't fertilizer or pepper spray, KUSA reports.
Six habanero chili peppers caused this hot mess.
Investigators found the spicy fruits scattered in the wood chips near the playground, school district communications director Lyyn Setzler told CNN. It isn't known how the peppers got there, she said.
Habaneros generally score between 100,000 and 350,000 units on the Scoville scale, which measures chili pepper hotness.
"The scale is actually a measure of the concentration of the chemical compound capsaicin, which is the active component that produces the heat sensation for humans," according to ChiliWorld.com. For comparison, jalepeno peppers usually score 2,500 to 5,000 units.
When you grind (or step on) habanero peppers, capsaicin particles can be released into the air. Breathing them in or getting them in your eyes can cause a burning sensation.
"As a person who grows some painful peppers, I have learned the hard way to take heed when handling them," says CNN Eatocracy editor Kat Kinsman. "It's all fun and games until you get some pepper juice in your eye, and then it's as if the sun is exploding."
The spiciest dish I ever ate
The school is washing down the playground equipment and surfaces that may have been exposed to the pepper oil, KUSA reports. The wood chips are also being replaced.
All the students who were brought to hospital for evaluation were released the same day, and all are fine, according to the local fire department.
Setzler says the school expects to re-open tomorrow morning.
 
Original link....
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/08/health/colorado-school-peppers/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
 
It's CNN guys. You know what that means...
 
I expect cracked.com will be calling bs on this in a few days. I have difficulty believing this because I've left busted up morugas lying around and nothing ever happens.
 
At the end of the year last year, I pulled all the pepper plants and put them in a giant pile. I hit them with the walk behind mower to break them down for the compost pile. All of those green and partially ripe peppers in the pile made it tough to breathe for a few minutes, and I knew what to expect.
 
I had quite a bit more heat than 6 habs.
 
You just know that the 'authorities' are looking for the person who left the peppers on the ground.  If found, this person will certainly be charged with some hyped up criminal charges.
 
And, I'll bet you anything that somewhere a %&%*%^! government official is contemplating writing a law that will restrict the growing of hot peppers or, at the least, classify them as 'dangerous.'  "Think of the children!"
 
How on Earth do we go about reversing this militant nanny/police state before it completely engulfs us all?
Is there any course of action that will make a difference?  Any at all? :mope:
 
I think the peppers are blamed for a different kind of chemical attack, they are the red herring.
It's anyone's guess what the actual chemical is that was used for this attack.
Maybe it is a way to forbid peppers in that nanny state that the U.S. is becoming.
Glad and happy I don't live there.
 
Bhut_Trolokia said:
I think the peppers are blamed for a different kind of chemical attack, they are the red herring.
It's anyone's guess what the actual chemical is that was used for this attack.
Unless people where stuffing the woodchips in their eyes, no eye pains. Unless they all had sensitive skin, it wouldn't hurt that either. Douglah maybe, but not a habanero for sure. Betting someone dropped a tear gas can and left peppers lying around.
 
muskymojo said:
Probably smeared the pods on the playground equipment, then threw them on the ground.
Anyone know how intact the pods were? Even so, getting skin pains seems a bit extreme for just a hab. Habs make my fingers hurt if I run them under warm water afterwards, but never normally.
 
Geonerd said:
You just know that the 'authorities' are looking for the person who left the peppers on the ground.  If found, this person will certainly be charged with some hyped up criminal charges.
 
And, I'll bet you anything that somewhere a %&%*%^! government official is contemplating writing a law that will restrict the growing of hot peppers or, at the least, classify them as 'dangerous.'  "Think of the children!"
 
How on Earth do we go about reversing this militant nanny/police state before it completely engulfs us all?
Is there any course of action that will make a difference?  Any at all? :mope:
 
Getting the media to stop over-hyping mundane cases and do some honest unbiased reporting would be a huge step in the right direction -- educating the public. But that will never happen and we'll continue to hear stories of killer sharks, child terrorists, and saved puppies (and bunnies lol).
 
muskymojo said:
Probably smeared the pods on the playground equipment, then threw them on the ground.
 
 
I GUARANTEE is was some acne-covered teenager trying to be funny and a badass infront of his peers. Guarantee it. Now look - he made the news, and there goes his ego through the roof.
 
 
 
 
I hate CNN and NBC but I have a special, deeper hate for FOX news. :rolleyes:
 
Yea, it's damn hard to have a functional democracy with garbage news sources.
 
None of the TeeVeeNoos networks do much more than pander to their target audience. :(
 
Really, a freakin hazmat crew?? Many a times I have chopped habaneros and hotter and got the oils all over my hand, only to scratch my face or rub my eye... It hurts but I don't need to go to a hospital and get "decontaminated". I guess everyone has to be uber cautious these days (aka wussy) what with the all seeing eye of the media and internet upon us.
 
That story is very hard for me to believe as well. I routinely crush flawed superhot peppers all around my property line. Hundreds of them. I use the drop and stomp method. This helps keep the pests out (skunks, squirrels, C.H.U.D.s, etc.). I have two elementary aged girls who play for hours in the back yard, often with friends. They know to stay clear of the peppers, but I've never heard a single complaint of fumes.
 
My guess is something else is up - like the kids were playing with the peppers, or lots of juice was directly on the play equipment.
 
But, I can see a child freaking out over a mild reaction, largely because they don't know what was going on. We pepper folks are a bit blasé as we know what it entails. Even my girls have become a bit desensitized if they get some in their eye.
 
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