Newport Beach Halts All Herbicide Treatment On Fields, City Says

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — City officials moved to stop the use of synthetic herbicides on all City of Newport Beach-owned athletic fields.

The use of synthetic herbicides will be replaced by a regular sod replacement program to maintain safe, high-quality playing surfaces, city staff said.

The move will impact roughly 1.9 million square feet of athletic field turn maintained by Newport Beach. The new program will implement a three- to five-year sod replacement cycle to address weeds and natural deterioration.

Between replacement cycles, the city will manage weeds with organic turf treatments and mechanical extraction methods.

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The action comes after news of a string of rare cancer cases in children from Ladera Ranch triggered fear about pesticide and herbicide use across the region.

Local politicians and the U.S. Attorney's Office announced requests for the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the cases in July.

The push was prompted by an NBC Los Angeles report about six children diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma — a rare bone and soft-tissue cancer — in Ladera Ranch and nearby Orange County cities. NBC Los Angeles learned of about a dozen other rare cancer cases, prompting concerns of a potential cancer cluster.

RELATED: Pesticide Use At These OC Schools Halted Amid Cancer Cluster Scare In Children

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

In addition, Capistrano Unified School District Officials voted to temporarily pause the use of spray pesticides and herbicides at school campuses in early August.

Some local cases were documented in communities served by the Capistrano Unified School District. The district serves neighborhoods in San Clemente, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita, and the communities of Las Flores, Coto de Caza, Dove Canyon, Ladera Ranch, Sendero/Rancho Mission Viejo, and Wagon Wheel.

Patch staffer Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.