by Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D., Childrens Health Defense:
In March, 17-year-old Brody Matteson died of Ewing sarcoma, a rare cancer he was diagnosed with just before his 16th birthday. Brody is one of six children in Ladera Ranch, California, diagnosed with the same type of cancer. Although no definitive link has been established between Ewing sarcoma and any specific pesticides, the community is asking for an investigation into the routine pesticide spraying in town.
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At age 15, Brody Matteson had a bright future ahead of him. A resident of Ladera Ranch, California, Brody was a star high school athlete. But two weeks before his 16th birthday, Brody was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare cancer that ultimately took his life in March. He was 17.
Brody was one of at least six Ladera Ranch children diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma since 2023. A rare and aggressive form of cancer that develops in the bones or soft tissue, Ewing sarcoma primarily affects children and teenagers.
Brody’s father, Dustin Matteson, shared Brody’s story in an interview with The Defender. He said Brody was a healthy and active child who played a cumulative total of 32 seasons’ worth of sports while in high school. Dustin said Brody’s death has contributed to questions Ladera Ranch residents have about what may be causing the cancers.
Only about 200 U.S. children and teens are diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma each year, according to the National Cancer Institute.
The disproportionately high incidence of Ewing sarcoma cases in Ladera Ranch, population 26,000, has alarmed residents. Some suspect that “rampant” pesticide use in the community is to blame.
Although pesticide use has not been definitively linked to Brody’s death or to the other five cases, residents have called for an investigation.
“These events have prompted many residents to question whether there may be shared environmental exposures contributing to disease risk,” Carolyn McCuan, co-founder of local advocacy group Toxic-Free OC, told The Defender.
McCuan said one possible exposure is the “routine application of herbicides and pesticides throughout common areas of the community.”
Records obtained by Toxic-Free OC indicate these products “have been applied regularly over a period of several years, in many cases on a scheduled basis almost daily, rather than solely in response to documented pest outbreaks.”
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