{"id":413233,"date":"2026-07-26T22:13:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T22:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/413233\/"},"modified":"2026-07-26T22:13:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T22:13:08","slug":"ladera-ranch-erupts-as-cancer-bosses-release-new-figures-on-extremely-rare-cluster-striking-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/413233\/","title":{"rendered":"Ladera Ranch erupts as cancer bosses release new figures on extremely rare cluster striking kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

Parents in a wealthy California community say newly released state cancer figures have only fueled fears that years of pesticide spraying<\/a> could be linked to a cluster of rare childhood cancers.<\/p>\n

Families in Orange County\u2019s Ladera Ranch have spent months pushing officials to investigate whether environmental factors played a role in an alarming number of Ewing sarcoma diagnoses among local children.<\/p>\n

Twenty-three-year-old Lily Dalton died in January. GoFundMe<\/p>\n

Haven Keetch was diagnosed with a rare cancer that affects fewer than 1,000 Americans each year. Facebook\/@haven.keetch<\/p>\n

Health officials say no link has been established, but residents argue the latest data has only raised more questions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The California Cancer Registry confirmed there were fewer than 11 cases of Ewing sarcoma in Ladera Ranch <\/a>during a 10-year period ending in 2021.<\/p>\n

But for many parents, the numbers are already outdated<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The firm said it plans to examine possible environmental exposures, including historical pesticide and herbicide applications. Unwind \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

The data does not include several diagnoses reported after 2021, including 17-year-old Brody Matteson, who died in March 2026 after battling the rare bone and soft tissue cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cHas that number grown?\u201d Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley asked CBS. \u201cIf it has grown, has it grown to a significant incident that it would be a cause for alarm. We need answers so that we can plan. So that we can protect the public health.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Foley said she has repeatedly asked for more detailed information, including a map showing where Orange County\u2019s cases have occurred, but has not been able to obtain one.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are 35 cases in Orange County as of 2021,\u201d she said. \u201cI have asked multiple times, can we get a map that shows that pinpoints where these 35 cases are in Orange County? So far, no one has been able to get me that information.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of easing fears, the state\u2019s numbers have left residents demanding even more answers.<\/p>\n

Many families have pointed to years of pesticide and herbicide use throughout the sprawling master-planned community as a possible environmental factor.<\/p>\n

Dalton\u2019s father has publicly asked, \u201cWhy are so many young children and adults developing incredibly rare cancers in the same community?\u201d GoFundMe<\/p>\n

Authorities, however, have not found evidence linking those chemicals to the cancer cases.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems like it\u2019s an unreal number of kids sick,\u201d resident Karen Smith told CBS. \u201cWe want to know what is the true cause.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ewing sarcoma is among the rarest childhood cancers, affecting only about 200 to 240 children and teens nationwide each year, according to the American Cancer Society.<\/p>\n

The disease has devastated families across Ladera Ranch.<\/p>\n

Brody Matteson\u2019s family said his battle began after he complained of persistent back pain shortly before his 16th birthday. Obtained by the CA Post<\/p>\n

Twenty-three-year-old Lily Dalton died in January after battling Ewing sarcoma. <\/p>\n

Her father, Brian Dalton, has publicly asked, \u201cWhy are so many young children and adults developing incredibly rare cancers in the same community?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brody Matteson\u2019s family said his battle began after he complained of persistent back pain shortly before his 16th birthday. <\/p>\n

Doctors later discovered the cancer had developed on his spine.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was an outdoor kid. There was a time to be outside, that was Brody,\u201d his mother, Megan Matteson, told NBC Los Angeles. \u201cHe was out on his bike, out at the park. They were building bike jumps. He was out at all the parks around Ladera.\u201d<\/p>\n

The data does not include several diagnoses reported after 2021. Unwind \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Jessica Keetch said her 18-year-old daughter, Haven, lost her leg after developing synovial sarcoma. Instagram\/@havenkeetch<\/p>\n

The concerns have also spread beyond Ewing sarcoma.<\/p>\n

Jessica Keetch said her 18-year-old daughter, Haven, lost her leg after developing synovial sarcoma, another rare cancer that affects fewer than 1,000 Americans each year.<\/p>\n

The growing alarm has now drawn federal<\/a> attention.<\/p>\n

First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli has asked Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin to investigate whether environmental factors could be contributing to what residents believe may be a cancer cluster, and whether any federal environmental laws have been violated.<\/p>\n

The concerns have also spread beyond Ewing sarcoma. MediaNews Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cMy office has been made aware of recent reports of multiple pediatric Ewing sarcoma cases within the Ladera Ranch community. Residents are raising concerns about a potential cancer cluster and whether environmental factors may warrant further evaluation,\u201d Essayli wrote in a letter obtained by The California Post.<\/p>\n

At the same time, Bond Legal has launched its own investigation, seeking information from families whose children lived in or regularly visited Ladera Ranch and were diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma or other rare childhood cancers.<\/p>\n

The firm said it plans to examine possible environmental exposures, including historical pesticide and herbicide applications, soil and groundwater conditions, former agricultural land use and other potential hazards.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Parents in a wealthy California community say newly released state cancer figures have only fueled fears that years…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":413234,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,4900,2305,4182,611,41318,3586],"class_list":["post-413233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-cancer","tag-children","tag-metro","tag-orange-county","tag-pesticides","tag-us-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=413233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413233\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/413234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=413233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=413233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=413233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}