Ritzy SoCal city rocked by rare cancer outbreak suspends use of chemical landscaping products

A wealthy Southern California community with a disturbing spike in rare cancer cases among children is taking action.

Now, Ladera Ranch Maintenance Corporation (LARMAC), the company responsible for the landscaping and maintenance for the community, is halting the use of landscape chemicals associated with its work.

The landscaping work has been put on hold after Los Angeles’ top federal prosecutor called for an investigation into the suspected cancer cluster, The California Post first reported.

In a letter, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli urged the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate whether environmental contamination could be linked to the troubling number of pediatric Ewing sarcoma cases reported in the ritzy enclave.

“My 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,” Essayli wrote.

LARMAC established an Ad Hoc Landscape Pest Management Advisory Committee, composed of homeowners and Board members, to review the current program, The California Post has learned.

“The Board has directed staff to implement a temporary 60-day pause on the routine use of certain landscape maintenance products used for weed management and plant growth regulation,” LARMAC told The Post in a statement.

“This temporary pause applies only to routine landscape maintenance applications within LARMAC-maintained common areas and does not affect activities necessary to protect public health and safety, such as rodent control or responses to invasive pests,” the statement continued.

The Association is also evaluating how it notifies residents of work in the area.

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Here are the latest stories on the Ladera Ranch rare cancer outbreak:

• Cluster of extremely rare cancer cases suddenly strikes kids in wealthy SoCal city
• Second rare cancer strain emerges as Southern California cluster grows
• Investigation launched into extremely rare cancer striking kids in CA enclave: ‘Deeply concerning’

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Essayli also asked the EPA to “conduct an appropriate investigation to determine if there are any environmental factors causing this cancer cluster, and to determine whether any federal environmental laws are implicated.”

For months, parents have questioned the extensive use of landscape pesticides and herbicides throughout Ladera Ranch’s roughly 4,000 acres, asking whether repeated chemical applications could be contributing to the illnesses.

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Attorney and Ladera Ranch resident Jackie French previously told The California Post that records appear to show widespread pesticide and herbicide applications throughout the community, fueling residents’ calls to ditch chemical treatments in favor of organic landscaping methods.

 While no link has been established between the chemicals and the cancer cases, the concerns have become the driving force behind the community’s push for answers.