The Neot Hovav Industrial Park (IP), located in southern Israel, hosts 23 chemical industry facilities and the national site for treatment of hazardous waste. Yet, information about its impact on the health of local population has been mostly ecological, focused on Bedouins and did not control for possible confounding effect of prevalent dust storms. This case–control study examined whether living near the IP could lead to increased risk of pediatric hospitalization for respiratory diseases. Cases (n = 3608) were residents of the Be’er Sheva sub-district aged 0–14 years who were admitted for respiratory illnesses between 2004 and 2009. These were compared to children admitted for non-respiratory conditions (n = 3058). Home
Addresses were geocoded and the distances from the IP to the child’s residence were calculated