Residents press for answers on environmental exposures
Concerns over a cluster of rare childhood cancer cases in Ladera Ranch intensified this week as families demanded answers from local and state officials about possible environmental causes.
Katrina Foley, vice-chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, said in a statement that six children in the community of about 26,000 people have been diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a cancer that primarily affects bone and soft tissue and is seen mostly in children and young adults. Foley called the diagnoses an “exceptionally rare” pattern and urged the state to expedite its review and provide “timely, transparent updates” to residents.
“We do not yet know what caused these cancers, but that uncertainty demands a comprehensive review of every credible factor, including possible environmental exposures, along with direct communication and the public release of the findings,” Foley said in a statement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli sent a separate letter to the Environmental Protection Agency requesting an investigation into whether an environmental cause may be behind the cluster. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute recognize that unusual patterns of cancer and community concerns about potential environmental exposures should be evaluated through a systematic, science-based process, Essayli wrote.
At a community meeting this week, hundreds of residents turned out to voice concerns. Several people described additional cancer cases in adults and pets, and many said they believed the cases were linked to the use of herbicides and pesticides in the area.
“We’re very concerned about pesticides that are being sprayed all around the community,” resident Liesl Heizt said. “There’s so many times that I walk around and they’re spraying, and I ask what they’re spraying and they’re not telling us.”
Brian Dalton, whose daughter Lily died earlier this year after being diagnosed with a rare cancer linked to a genetic abnormality also seen in the other cases, spoke at the meeting.
“I don’t want another mother holding her child’s hand through endless treatments, praying for one more birthday, planning a funeral instead of a future,” Dalton said.
The American Cancer Society reports that there are no known lifestyle-related or environmental causes of Ewing sarcoma. No cause has been established for the Ladera Ranch cluster, and the epidemiological investigation is in its early stages.