Today, Supervisor Kathryn Barger and the Director of Los Angeles County’s Department Public Health, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, sent a letter enlisting the help of Los Angeles County’s Cancer Surveillance Program to evaluate the possibility of cancer clusters resulting from noxious odors stemming from Chiquita Canyon Landfill.
“The concerns regarding cancer clusters are serious,” the letter states. “Identifying increases in cancer cases and…causes can be challenging. Given your expertise in analyzing cancer trends, we believe your insights will be invaluable.”
“Since this crisis began, I have led our county’s efforts to provide real-time response and action to the impacted communities,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “Residents in Val Verde, Castaic, and surrounding neighborhoods deserve real solutions. I will continue to take every concern seriously and remain committed to investigating all concerns raised by the community.”
The Los Angeles County Cancer Surveillance Program’s mission is to monitor and identify cancer disparities by delivering high quality, complete, and robust data to reduce morbidity and mortality. The program has existed since 1972 and is operated by the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
More information about the program is available at csp.usc.edu.