Parents in Ladera Ranch, a master-planned community in Orange County, are urging their homeowners’ association to find a safer alternative to toxic chemicals used in landscaping. The call to action comes after about a dozen rare cancer cases were reported in children in the area.
Community Concerns
Jessica Keetch, a parent in Ladera Ranch, believes that something is causing the high number of cancer cases in children. Her 18-year-old daughter, Haven, was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, a rare cancer that affects about 1,000 people a year in the country.
Megan Matteson, another parent in the community, lost her son, Brody, to Ewing sarcoma, a rare cancer, in March. She says that having three families contact her after Brody’s diagnosis was helpful but also scary.
Dr. Bruce Blumberg, a professor of developmental and cell biology at the University of California, Irvine, believes that there is a link between these cancers and pesticides. He says that there is data showing a correlation between cancers and pesticide use.
Keetch and other parents in Ladera Ranch are fighting for their community to use non-toxic pesticides. The Ladera Ranch Maintenance Corporation has formed a committee to review its landscaping practices.
Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.
