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Grieving Orange County families gathered at a community meeting in Ladera Ranch on Tuesday to express their distress over a cluster of extremely rare cancers in children.
Multiple cases of Ewing sarcoma, a rare bone and soft-tissue cancer, have occurred in the area and taken the lives of young people prematurely, and even caused the fatal disease in residents’ pets.
Brian Dalton, who tragically lost his 23-year-old daughter Lily, demanded answers. He made his emotional statement while he wore a white shirt with his daughter’s face on it that said “Remembering Lily.”
“Why are so many young children and adults developing incredibly rare cancers in the same community?” he asked.
Lily grew up in Laguna Nigel but spent a significant amount of time in Ladera Ranch, which residents claim uses unusually heavy amounts of pesticides and herbicides. Ewing sarcoma affects only about 200 to 240 children nationwide each year.
Her family started a GoFundMe to help with treatment costs before her death, it is still active and has almost reached $45,000 as of Wednesday morning.
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Brian believes there should be a thorough investigation into whether the pesticides and his daughter’s cancer are linked.
“That when something this unusual happens, families deserve answers,” Dalton said. “If there is even a possibility that environmental exposures, including pesticides or any other factor, could be contributing, then those possibilities deserve a thorough, transparent, independent investigation.”
Researchers have previously explored possible associations between pesticide exposure and certain childhood cancers, including Ewing sarcoma, but no direct causal relationship has been confirmed.
Still, residents say the volume of chemicals being sprayed throughout the community has become impossible to ignore.
But any efforts from the residents to find out what’s amiss have been stonewalled by local officials.
“This issue has been looked into by several different groups of residents in Ladera Ranch going back to 2016,” attorney and resident Jackie French told The California Post.
“They have all been pretty much stonewalled… and many of them ended up moving away, so the movement kind of dies out each time.”
French drew inspiration to involve herself after a 17-year-old, Brody Matteson, died of Ewing sarcoma in March. According to French, records show that 17 different pesticides and herbicides were applied throughout Ladera Ranch during June alone, with applications occurring almost daily.
In a statement to The Post, the Ladera Ranch Maintenance Corporation (LARMAC), which oversees landscaping throughout the community, expressed sympathy for affected families but said there is currently no evidence linking the town’s landscaping practices to the illnesses.
“Our thoughts are with every child, parent, and loved one navigating these incredibly difficult circumstances,” the association said.
County and state health officials are looking into the cancer data, and the EPA has been asked to investigate, according to NBC Los Angeles.
The Ladera Ranch HOA also has issued a 60-day pause on certain pesticides that they use.
California assemblymember Diane Dixon told NBC LA that lawmakers are trying to understand potential environmental exposures in Ladera Ranch as they build towards an investigation.
“Save more lives,” she told NBC LA. “That is our goal — to save lives and families and have healthy communities.”
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