Researchers Testing Ladera Ranch Soil After Reports Of Possible Cancer Cluster

LADERA RANCH, CA — A chemistry lab at Cal State Fullerton is running tests on soil samples from one South Orange County town where a string of children have been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, The Orange County Register reported.

According to the newspaper, the samples were collected from several locations in Ladera Ranch — where the cases were reported — including Boreal Plunge Park, Wagsdale Dog Park and Town Green.

Three professors are leading what is called the initial phase of a voluntary research project at Cal State Fullerton, the newspaper said.

The effort will test for the presence of heavy metals in the samples, such as lead and arsenic, which were at one point common ingredients in since-outlawed pesticides, the report said.

The project comes after a string of Ladera Ranch children were diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, earlier this year.

In July, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli called attention to the matter by asking the EPA to investigate the possible connection between the cancer cases and pesticide use in Ladera Ranch.

"There has been an unusual cluster of pediatric cancers in the Ladera Ranch community," Essayli wrote on X. "I am requesting that @EPA conduct an appropriate investigation into whether there are any environmental causes, and whether any federal environmental laws are implicated."

Daniel Curtis is one of three Cal State Fullerton professors currently analyzing soil samples.

"It's very difficult to prove causation, and we don't even know that this is environmental," Prof. Daniel Curtis told NBC Los Angeles. "It could be something else that's potentially causing childhood cancers, but what we want to do is figure out if there is something in the environment. We can figure out if it's here."

According to NBC, researchers at USC also agreed to conduct their own study on the Ewing sarcoma cases.

Ewing sarcoma is extremely rare — only about 200 to 250 cases are diagnosed each year nationwide, according to the National Organization For Rare Disorders.

Earlier this year, Ladera Ranch's community HOA placed a temporary ban on certain chemicals used in landscape maintenance.

Last week, HOA board members agreed to stop using the chemicals in high-traffic areas like parks, according to NBC los Angeles.

According to the outlet, while some research does suggest a link between pesticide use and Ewing sarcoma, there is so far no direct connection between pesticides and these types of cancer.

While no direct connection has been recorded, parents have been voicing concerns about the number of children suffering from the rare cancer.

"I think people need to listen and wake up and realize something is happening to our children," Jessica Keetch told NBCLA. "This is not random."

Keetch told the outlet that her 18-year-old daughter, Haven, had her right foot amputated after getting diagnosed with a rare cancer called synovial sarcoma, which health experts say affects about 1,000 people a year in the United States.

"I'll always remember that day," she said. "I'll cry thinking about it because it's the worst day for a parent you can ever have."

And Keetch's family isn't alone.

Megan Matteson, who also lives in Ladera Ranch, lost her son Brody in March after battling Ewing sarcoma and treatment-related leukemia, the New York Post reported.

"To have three families that just contacted me right away after Brody was diagnosed was helpful but scary at the same time," Matteson told the New York Post.

Earlier this week, Bond Legal announced it had launched an investigation into the cases, saying it is seeking information from familiar whose children lived in or regularly visited the Ladera Ranch community.

"The concentration of cases in a single community is deeply troubling, especially to those who live there," Bond Legal Managing Partner Candice Bond told the New York Post.

Assemblymembers Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach) and Kate Sanchez (R-Mission Viejo) also joined in the call to investigate the cases this past summer.

"My position on the use of pesticides has been and will continue to be unequivocal and non-negotiable," Dixon said in a statement. "Those who use pesticides must uphold the highest safety standards and adhere to existing laws throughout Orange County."