A wealthy Southern California community with a disturbing spike in rare cancer cases among children is taking action.
The community of Ladera Ranch has seen a number of Ewing sarcoma diagnoses among children dating back to 2013, with additional cases emerging in recent years.
Among them was 17-year-old Brody Matteson, who died after his cancer treatment resulted in secondary leukemia.
Now, Ladera Ranch Maintenance Corporation (LARMAC), the company responsible for the landscaping and maintenance for the community, is halting the use of landscape chemicals associated with its work.
LARMAC established an Ad Hoc Landscape Pest Management Advisory Committee, composed of homeowners and Board members, to review the current program, The California Post has learned.
“The Board has directed staff to implement a temporary 60-day pause on the routine use of certain landscape maintenance products used for weed management and plant growth regulation,” LARMAC told The Post in a statement.
A wealthy Southern California community with a disturbing spike in rare cancer cases among children is taking action. MediaNews Group via Getty Images
The community of Ladera Ranch has seen a number of Ewing sarcoma diagnoses among children dating back to 2013, with additional cases emerging in recent years. Among them was 17-year-old Brody Matteson (above), who died after his cancer treatment resulted in secondary leukemia. Obtained by the CA Post
“The Board has directed staff to implement a temporary 60-day pause on the routine use of certain landscape maintenance products used for weed management and plant growth regulation,” LARMAC told The Post in a statement. Getty Images
“This temporary pause applies only to routine landscape maintenance applications within LARMAC-maintained common areas and does not affect activities necessary to protect public health and safety, such as rodent control or responses to invasive pests,” the statement continued.
The Association is also evaluating how it notifies residents of work in the area.
The move comes just one day after First Assistant USÂ Attorney Bill Essayli asked the US Environmental Protection Agency to investigate whether environmental factors could be contributing to the unusual number of childhood cancer cases connected to Ladera Ranch.
For months, parents have questioned the extensive use of landscape pesticides and herbicides throughout Ladera Ranch’s roughly 4,000 acres, asking whether repeated chemical applications could be contributing to the illnesses.
While no link has been established between the chemicals and the cancer cases, the concerns have become the driving force behind the community’s push for answers.
In a letter sent Thursday to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Essayli requested a federal investigation after reports that children connected to the master-planned community have been diagnosed with rare 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 wrote. “Residents are raising concerns about a potential cancer cluster and whether environmental factors may warrant further evaluation.”