Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger is seeking answers from local researchers on possible cancer risk and other adverse impacts from by the Chiquita Canyon Landfill.
In a letter sent Friday addressed to Dr. Amy Hwang, epidemiologist with the USC Cancer Surveillance Program, Barger repeated an October request for a cancer-cluster analysis in neighborhoods near the landfill.
The supervisor also asked researchers provide an update at the next meeting of the landfill’s Community Advisory Committee scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday. Cancer surveillance program researchers agreed to present a briefing at the CAC’s April 8 meeting, Barger spokeswoman Helen Chavez said.
The California Department of Public Health oversees the cancer monitoring program, which researches cancer trends in LA County.
“My constituents in the impacted communities have shared their frustration, anxiety, and uncertainty — I hear them loud and clear,” Barger said in a statement Monday. “They deserve straightforward answers, and I am committed to ensuring they get them. My priority is to push for transparency and clear information.”
County officials commissioned an independent health study that found elevated levels of benzene and carbon tetrachloride, which pose health risks such as cancer and reproductive harm under prolonged exposure. The county is conducting an internet-based health survey for area residents, and officials have also been assessing resident claims the landfill has led to a cluster of cancer cases in the area.
As of Feb. 5, roughly half of respondents reported smelling offensive or highly offensive odors, and about 70% said they notice the odor daily.
“Residents of the Santa Clarita Valley continue to express significant concerns regarding the health impacts of the landfill, and the perceived increase in cancer cases,” Barger wrote in her letter.
She acknowledged “that conducting a thorough analysis of cancer clusters can be a complex and time-consuming process,” but also noted “the health and well-being of our constituents is paramount, and the community deserves clarity on this important matter.”
In January, the landfill’s owners ceased operations but agreed to work to control noxious odors that have been emanating from the facility, which they have attributed to an underground chemical reaction.
The Board of Supervisors instructed the Public Works Department to assess the closure’s implications.
At the time, a group of residents from surrounding areas such as Val Verde and Castaic voiced the effect of the frequent odors. They called a local emergency declaration, which could provide immediate resources such as relocation assistance.
The county filed a federal lawsuit in December against Chiquita Canyon LLC over the continued noxious emissions.
A group of local residents sued the landfill’s owners in October, alleging the company failed to properly manage the facility’s gas capture, control systems and leachate systems. Leachate is a polluted liquid that materializes when rainwater filters through solid waste.
The alleged failures caused the emission of elevated and harmful levels of carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and volatile organic gases, creating unsafe living conditions for thousands of residents, according to the residents’ lawsuit.
In 2024, residents filed 13,000 odor complaints regarding the landfill, according to the lawsuit.
Area residents have suffered headaches, nausea, respiratory issues and the inability to enjoy use of their properties because of the landfill’s noxious odors, the suit states.
Landfill representatives said bad smells are from “an abnormal biotic or abiotic process, also known as a landfill reaction, taking place deep within a lined but older and inactive portion of the landfill waste mess.”
The county contends that residents have been forced to stay indoors, run air conditioning and heat during all times of the day and have been unable to enjoy outdoor activities or even use their yards, further impacting mental health and well-being, especially for children.
The Chiquita Canyon Landfill’s parent company is Waste Connections Inc. based in The Woodlands, Texas.
