From 1975 to 1996 McFarland California reported 21 of its children as being diagnosed with cancer which is “3 times” higher than normal considering the fact that McFarland had a population of around 8000 at the beginning of the Cancer Cluster.[10] As the reports of cancer cases began to increase locals pointed fingers at the pesticides which were commonly being used on farms in the area and soon after new outlets such as the LA Times began to take notice and started reporting on the incident.[11] Because of the severity of the cluster and the amount of attention the cancer cluster was receiving, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) launched an investigation on the incident. The USDHHS performed a multitude of tests on households, surroundings areas, the air, and waterways but found nothing conclusive that could point at pesticides as being the cause of all the cancer incidents.[12] Pesticide companies were quick to defend themselves after the report came out because as the report stated there was no indication that pesticides were at fault. This event remains controversial and many are still divided on whether or not pesticides played a bigger role that may have gone unnoticed despite the investigation by the USDHHS.