Ladera Ranch Researchers Collect Soil, Water Samples After Fewer Than 11 Ewing Sarcoma Cases
Updated
Updated · CNN · Sep 20
Ladera Ranch Researchers Collect Soil, Water Samples After Fewer Than 11 Ewing Sarcoma Cases
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Sep 20
Summary
Volunteer researchers collected soil and water samples in Ladera Ranch this month, testing for heavy metals including lead, arsenic and chromium as well as pesticide compounds tied to residents’ cancer fears.
Fewer than 11 Ewing sarcoma cases were identified in Ladera Ranch between 1999 and 2023, California health officials said, while residents have counted seven cases from 2007 to 2024 in a community of about 26,000.
State officials are reviewing whether the suburb has an unusual cancer pattern, with results expected this fall, but they say no immediate environmental hazards have been identified and any cause would be hard to prove.
Local institutions have already taken precautionary steps: the homeowners’ association and school district paused certain pesticide and herbicide uses, and regulators are separately reviewing local pesticide practices for possible violations.
Parents’ pressure intensified after two recent deaths — 23-year-old Lilly Dalton in January and 17-year-old Brody Matteson in March — turning a neighborhood search for answers into a broader test of how private communities handle environmental accountability.