First Assistant U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli in a Thursday letter called for an environmental investigation into reports by families in a wealthy Orange County community that several children living there were diagnosed with a rare cancer.
Essayli’s requestto the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency comes after several parents told news outlet NBC Los Angelesearlier this month that their children had been diagnosed with cancers including synovial sarcoma, which takes root in tissue around joints and tendons, and the even more rare Ewing sarcoma, which cause tumors in soft tissue or bone.
One parent told the news outlet that her 18-year-old daughter had to have her right foot amputated after her diagnosis. Another family lost their 17-year-old son to cancer in March.
Essayli’s request notes that six children in the area have been diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma.
Federal health authorities, Essayli said, “recognize that unusual patterns of cancer and community concerns regarding potential environmental exposures should be evaluated through a systematic, science-based process.”
About 250 cases of Ewing sarcoma are diagnosed each year in the U.S., according to health experts.
Although authorities have not yet established any cause or link, families believe toxic pesticides are to blame, and have pushed their homeowners association to switch to non-toxic pesticides and have urged officials to investigate environmental factors.
The community’s homeowners association, the Ladera Ranch Maintenance Corp., has in response said it is now forming a committee to review its landscaping practices, according to NBC Los Angeles.
The Ladera Ranch Maintenance Corp. did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Times.
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