Background: Communities living near industrial areas are not only concerned about the toxicological risks, but also about a set of risk factors integrating odors, noise, visual aspects and accidental events. They usually report health complaints including a wide range of symptoms, self-reported diseases, and poor quality of life. Aims: We present a study on the health and the quality of life of communities living near the major chemical industrial area of Salindres in Gard, France. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a random sample of 1 495 households, representative of the residents of 7 municipalities situated in a 5 km radius around the industrial area. The health outcomes were the general health perceptions (SF-36), the anxiety (SCL-ANX), sleep disorders (insomnia) and symptoms which can result from irritating and/or allergenic properties of chemical substances emissions of industrial activities. The exposure was estimated through the modeled atmospheric pollution and people perception of the industrial pollution. The attitudes towards the industrial activities (believes, worries and behaviors) were studied as interaction factors in the relation between psychological health and perceptions of the pollution according to the transactional theory of environmental stress. The study associated quantitative and qualitative methods. Results: The survey achieved a 52% response rate. The phone questionnaires were administered in October-December 2012. The data analysis will be ended in June 2013 and the results will be presented during the conference. Conclusions: This epidemiologic study, completed by a quantitative risk assessment and a cluster investigation of a perceived excess of diseases, was designed to perform a comprehensive evaluation of the local public health issue. This approach is consistent with the multifactorial characteristics of the exposure to industrial activities, integrating psychological and social factors of health.
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