Orange County Residents Demand Probe Into 6 Ewing Sarcoma Cases in Ladera Ranch
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Jul 22
Orange County Residents Demand Probe Into 6 Ewing Sarcoma Cases in Ladera Ranch
3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Jul 22
Summary
Hundreds of residents and several lawmakers packed a Tuesday meeting to press for a state and federal investigation after six children in Ladera Ranch were reported with Ewing sarcoma in a community of about 26,000.
Supervisor Katrina Foley said Orange County first asked the California Cancer Registry to review the cases in 2024, found no discernible pattern then, and has now requested a new assessment with UCI's Cancer Center and the county agricultural commissioner.
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli asked the EPA to examine possible environmental factors, while Assemblymember Kate Sanchez urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to launch a coordinated state-led investigation spanning local, state and federal agencies.
Residents focused on herbicides as a possible cause and pushed to ban toxic chemicals, but health officials said Ewing sarcoma's rarity makes statistical analysis difficult and does not allow them to determine whether environmental exposure caused the cancers.
Experts noted Ewing sarcoma affects about 200 to 250 U.S. children annually and can appear clustered by chance, underscoring why families are demanding faster public findings.