The area surrounding the Étang de Berre is a densely populated region where numerous industrial facilities have been in operation for over 50 years. The pollutants emitted by these facilities have raised many concerns among the public, elected officials, and medical associations, whose primary concern is to understand the effects of industrial air pollution on their health. A geographical epidemiological study of hospital admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and cancer was conducted over the 2004–2007 period. The study area, located around the Étang de Berre, comprises 29 municipalities that may be affected to varying degrees by air pollution from local industrial facilities. Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) was selected as a tracer pollutant for industrial pollution. This study revealed an increased risk of hospitalizations for myocardial infarction among women in municipalities exposed to moderate or high levels of SO₂ and among men in the most heavily impacted municipalities. No excess hospitalizations for respiratory diseases or cancers were observed in municipalities exposed to industrial pollution, with the exception of acute leukemia among men in the most heavily affected municipalities. (R.A.)