http://www.doublexscience.org/2013/01/how-chili-powder-can-kill.html
"Chili peppers, of the plant genus Capsicum, are a diverse bunch from the not-hot-at-all (bell peppers) to the hot-as-hell (bhut jolokia, also known as the ‘ghost pepper’). Hot peppers owe their pungency and heat to a class of chemicals called capsaicinoids. The most prevalent capsaicinoid in hot peppers is capsaicin, a neurotoxin -- meaning its poisonous action involves the nervous system.
Capsaicin binds to a specific molecule on a subgroup of neurons in our sensory systems, called ‘nociceptors’. When capsaicin binds this molecule, called a receptor, the result is fired up nociceptors, which we register as pain2. High temperatures can also act like capsaicin on nociceptors, which is why we feel a burning pain when eating capsaicin laden foods. From no feeling to warm to burning pain, the sensation we feel upon exposure to capsaicin depends on concentration.
We often focus on the pain capsaicin can provoke, but this chemical can elicit a range of other physiological responses. People who eat foods with hot peppers may complain of gastrointestinal issues, which are likely the work of capsaicin. Capsaicin also irritates the skin and mucous membranes (lining the eyelids, nose, mouth, genitals), provoking an inflammatory response often marked by redness and swelling, as well as sensations of warmth and pain.
If inhaled, capsaicin stimulates bronchopulmonary nociceptive C-fibers which can provoke apnea (temporary cessation of respiration), rapid shallow breathing, mucus secretion, bronchoconstriction (constriction of the smooth muscle of the airways in the lungs), and cough. In the most extreme cases, death by asphyxia3 (lack of oxygen) has occured."
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