Community Reacts to Rare Cancer Cases in Southern California
A wealthy Southern California neighborhood is taking steps in response to an unsettling rise in rare cancer cases among children. The community of Ladera Ranch has registered multiple diagnoses of Ewing sarcoma in kids, with cases rising since 2013, including a tragic instance involving 17-year-old Brody Matteson, who sadly passed away due to complications from cancer treatment that led to secondary leukemia.
In light of these developments, the Ladera Ranch Maintenance Corporation (LARMAC) has decided to stop using certain landscape chemicals while they reassess their practices. They’ve formed an Ad Hoc Landscape Pest Management Advisory Committee, made up of board members and homeowners, to evaluate their current landscaping program.
“The Board has directed staff to implement a temporary 60-day pause on the routine use of specific landscape maintenance products related to weed management and plant growth,” LARMAC announced. This decision aims to address growing concerns from community members about the safety of these chemicals.
This temporary suspension specifically concerns routine landscape applications in common areas and won’t interfere with essential public health measures such as pest control. LARMAC is also looking into how it communicates maintenance activities to residents.
Interestingly, this move comes just one day after First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to look into whether the local environment may play a role in the unusual number of childhood cancer cases linked to Ladera Ranch. For quite some time, parents in the area have expressed worries about the heavy use of herbicides and pesticides over the approximately 4,000 acres of the community, pondering if repeated chemical applications could be a factor in these serious health issues.
Although no direct correlation has been confirmed between the landscape chemicals and the cancer cases, those apprehensions have fueled increased demands for transparency and answers. In a recent letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Essayli urged for a federal inquiry into these matters after reports surfaced about children in Ladera Ranch being diagnosed with rare types of bone and soft tissue cancer.
“My office has been made aware of recent reports of multiple pediatric Ewing sarcoma cases within the Ladera Ranch community,” Essayli stated in the letter. “Residents are raising concerns about a potential cancer cluster and whether environmental factors may warrant further evaluation.”
