Cal State Fullerton researchers testing Ladera Ranch soil for contaminants

At a chemistry lab at Cal State Fullerton, two students and their professor huddle around a tiny plastic jar containing a precious substance: dirt.

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It may not look like much, but this dirt might hold an explanation for what’s been making people sick in Ladera Ranch, where a string of children have been diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of cancer.

This particular sample was collected from Boreal Plunge Park in Ladera Ranch, but water and soil samples also were taken from Wagsdale Dog Park and Town Green. The researchers plan to perform air quality tests as well.

Three professors in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry — Daniel Curtis, Paula Hudson, and Stevan Pecic — are leading this initial phase of a voluntary research project at Cal State Fullerton, with about a dozen undergraduate students assisting.

Curtis is examining the presence of heavy metals, such as lead, arsenic and chromium, in the water and soil. At certain levels, these toxins are linked to cancer. Commonly used pesticides used to contain harmful substances, including arsenic and lead, and although those have been phased out of use, they persist in the soil, Curtis said. Also, in the early 1900s, ranchers engaged in a process called cattle dipping, which involved having cows walk through vats of arsenic to rid them of cattle fever ticks, though it’s unknown where these vats were located.

Hudson is looking into the persistence of more modern pesticides. Pecic is studying how bacteria present in the soil might convert innocuous compounds into potentially toxic chemicals. Getting a variety of researchers involved allows them to “attack from every angle,” Pecic said.

The samples will be compared with others collected from communities around Orange County, including soil from Cal State Fullerton’s campus and from Anaheim.

In Curtis’ lab, the students dry out the soil in an oven at 60 degrees Celsius, then they grind it into smaller bits with a mortar and pestle. They measure out less than half a gram of dirt, which is then mixed with acid, which will dissolve the metals present in the soil. This process allows the team to measure how much metal is present in the acid mixture.

“We don’t want to find anything, to be honest,” Curtis said. “We don’t want there to be pollution there. But if it is there, this would tell us pretty quickly.”

The researchers are careful to point out that nothing they might find will determine causation. There has been little research on Ewing sarcoma, and there are no known environmental causes of the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

“We’re all very cautious about causality, but we certainly can start showing associations and correlations,” said Jennifer Piazza, a CSUF professor of public health and the scientific consultant for the group Ladera Health Watch.

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But, the researchers stress, it’s important to know what’s out there. Their data could help inform the ongoing state-level investigation as well, Curtis said. The end goal is to publish a study on their findings, likely sometime in October.

“We’re just trying to figure out if there is something there,” Curtis said. “And that’s all we can do right now.”

More research to come

These tests are only the first phase of a much larger, likely multiyear scientific study, Piazza said. In total, seven professors from a variety of fields are planning research projects based in Ladera Ranch, including a geography professor who plans to look into mapping and historical land use and public health professors hoping to survey locals for bio-indicators of health.

“Right now we’re seeing soil and water samples, but this is one part of a much larger scientific investigation,” Piazza said. “We’re just slowly trying to figure out this puzzle, piece by piece.”

The first phase, which includes environmental testing and preliminary historical mapping, likely will conclude by the end of the year, Piazza estimates.

Though this research can’t definitively prove that environmental issues are behind the rash of Ewing sarcoma and other cancers, it’s important to have the data, she said. “Decisions are made by communities every day,” Piazza said. “To make the most informed decisions about human health, we need data.”

Since 2007, as many as nine people, ranging from pre-teens to young adults in their early 20s, in Ladera Ranch have been diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma. At least two have died, including 17-year-old Brody Matteson, who passed away in March. Lilly Dalton died of Ewing sarcoma in January at 23 years old. She grew up in neighboring Laguna Niguel, but spent a lot of time in Ladera Ranch as a teenager.

When news first broke about the cancer cases, Piazza began reaching out to professors for help, but soon, more began reaching out to her.

“It’s a lot of Titans helping Titans,” said CSUF chemistry professor Paula Hudson, referencing the CSUF mascot.

For Piazza, this issue is personal — she’s lived in Ladera Ranch for about 10 years and raised a child there. “I care about this community, I’m a part of this community,” Piazza said. “These are neighbors of mine.”

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