Parents in an affluent California community say newly released cancer numbers in the state have only served to raise concerns that years of pesticide spraying could be linked to a group of rare childhood cancers.
Families at Ladera Ranch in Orange County spent months pushing officials to investigate whether environmental factors played a role in an alarming number of Ewing sarcoma diagnoses among local children.
Health officials say no link has been identified, but residents say the latest data has raised more questions.
There were fewer than 11 cases of Ewing’s sarcoma at Ladera Ranch during a 10-year period ending in 2021, the California Cancer Registry confirmed.
But for many parents, the numbers are already outdated.
The data does not include several diagnoses reported after 2021, including 17-year-old Brody Mattison, who died in March 2026 after battling a rare bone and soft tissue cancer.
“Has this number increased?” Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley asked CBS. “If it did develop, would it develop into a major incident that would be a cause for concern. We need answers so we can plan. So we can protect public health.”
Foley said she repeatedly asked for more detailed information, including a map showing where cases are occurring in Orange County, but was unable to get one.
“There are 35 cases in Orange County as of 2021,” she said. “I’ve asked several times, can we get a map of where these 35 cases are in Orange County? So far, no one has been able to provide me with that information.”
Instead of alleviating fears, the state’s numbers left residents demanding more answers.
Several families cited years of pesticide and herbicide use throughout the sprawling community as a possible environmental factor.
But authorities have found no evidence linking these chemicals to cancer cases.
“This seems like an unreal number of sick children,” resident Karen Smith told CBS. “We want to know what the real reason is.”
Ewing’s sarcoma is one of the rarest childhood cancers, affecting only about 200 to 240 children and teens nationwide each year, according to the American Cancer Society.
The disease has devastated families all over Ladera Ranch.
Twenty-three-year-old Lily Dalton died in January after battling Ewing’s sarcoma.
Her father, Brian Dalton, has publicly asked: “Why do so many young children and adults get incredibly rare cancers in the same community?”
Brodie Matteson’s family said his battle began after he complained of constant back pain shortly before his 16th birthday.
Doctors later discovered that cancer had developed in his spine.
“He was an outdoors kid. There was a time to get outside, and that was Brody,” his mother, Megan Matteson, told NBC Los Angeles. “He was out on his bike, in the park. They were building bike jumps. He’s been in all the parks around Ladera.”
Concerns have also spread beyond Ewing’s sarcoma.
Jessica Keach 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.
The growing alarm has now drawn federal attention.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Eisley asked EPA 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 were violated.
“My office has been made aware of recent reports of several cases of pediatric Ewing sarcoma within the Ladera Ranch community. Residents are raising concerns about a possible cancer cluster and whether environmental factors may warrant further evaluation,” Al-Asili wrote in a letter obtained by the California Post.
At the same time, Bond Legal launched its own investigation, seeking information from families whose children lived at or regularly visited Ladera Ranch and were diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma or other rare childhood cancers.
The company said it plans to study potential environmental exposures, including historical applications of pesticides and herbicides, soil and groundwater conditions, past agricultural land use and other potential risks.