Rare Childhood Cancer Cases In OC Trigger Federal Push For Investigation Into Pesticide

LADERA RANCH, CA — Local politicians and the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Thursday requests for the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate rare cancer cases affecting children in Orange County.

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.

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

On Thursday, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli announced that he is asking the EPA to investigate a possible connection between the cases and pesticide use in the impacted cities.

"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."

In the master-planned community of Ladera Ranch, parents have been voicing concerns about the number of children suffering from rare cancers.

"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.

"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."