The Altéo plant, located in Gardanne (Bouches-du-Rhône), produces alumina from bauxite and stores its solid waste at a disposal site in the neighboring town of Bouc-Bel-Air. Its operations generate dust. In February 2017, the Directorate General for Health and the Directorate General for Labor referred the matter to Santé publique France regarding the appropriateness of conducting an epidemiological study on the health of residents and workers at these two industrial sites. In response, the agency launched two initial studies in 2018: a study of expectations and the local context, and a mortality study. This report presents the results of the first study, whose fieldwork phase took place during the last quarter of 2018. Its objective was to describe the perceptions, concerns, and behaviors of various local stakeholders regarding the situation and associated risks. Santé Publique France relied on the results of a qualitative study, whose semi-structured interviews were conducted by Kantar Public with various categories of local stakeholders, as well as three focus group meetings with residents grouped according to their degree of exposure to the sites. In terms of results, the stakeholders interviewed noted a transformation of the former Provence mining basin, with an economic landscape in the midst of change, marked by a decline in mining activity and industrial jobs. This is a geographic area that has become more residential and urbanized with the arrival of new, more affluent populations. Analysis of the social context revealed two main areas of concern: environmental and health issues, and economic factors (employment and land values). Health and environmental concerns are particularly acute for residents near the Mange-Garri site (Bouc-Bel-Air), as the local population has recently discovered (or rediscovered, for older residents) the existence of this site following the arrival of solid waste at the landfill starting in 2012. Concerns center on dust emitted by the site but also on the risk of groundwater contamination. Around the Altéo plant (Gardanne), the employment/economic aspect remains predominant in light of the plant’s heritage value, but the level of tolerance for nuisances (dust, noise, odors) tends to be decreasing among local residents, and a new perspective is emerging, particularly following the accidental rupture of a soda ash pipeline in March 2016. Overall, few health effects are observed by most of the stakeholders interviewed, but local residents express significant concern regarding the dust generated near the plant and the storage site, as well as the potential for cancers that could develop after prolonged exposure. The most active advocacy groups report high rates of respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as cancers, and an increase in asthma and allergies. The healthcare professionals interviewed do not express any particular concern about the health status of the population. Employees, former employees, occupational physicians, and health and safety managers do not express any concern about health conditions in the workplace. While the implementation of an epidemiological approach is viewed positively by the local stakeholders interviewed, some say they expect it will be impossible to establish a causal link between health events and Altéo’s operations due to the variety of environmental exposures (other industries, road traffic, etc.), the multifactorial nature of diseases, and the cocktail effect of pollutants. Some community group representatives emphasized the potential value of a “self-reported health” study, which would allow for the investigation of conditions or symptoms not included in the databases used by epidemiologists, by involving stakeholders during the study’s design and implementation phases. Furthermore, representatives of civil society organizations, journalists, and some local residents expect assurances of transparency and scientific independence from Santé publique France.