For several decades, incineration has played a significant role in France among household waste treatment methods. This activity has led to particulate and chemical pollution of the environment, the toxic effects of which have been suggested by several studies conducted among residents living near incinerators. This situation, which has caused concern among the public, has raised public health questions regarding the impact of chronic exposure to air emissions from these industrial facilities. Two nationwide epidemiological studies were subsequently conducted, one on biological dioxin exposure and its determinants, and the other on cancer incidence. These findings demonstrated a relationship between past exposure to atmospheric emissions from incinerators and the incidence of several types of cancer, as well as a limited impact of current emissions on biological dioxin levels in people living near the plants. They confirm the effectiveness of the pollutant emission limits that have been in place since the early 2000s, and in some cases suggest the need for specific management measures. With these measures, the health impact of municipal waste incinerators could be sufficiently controlled to raise the question of shifting research efforts toward other, less regulated sources of industrial pollution. (R.A.)