The purpose of this document is to examine the social dimensions of the area affected by a local environmental health issue. By complementing the analysis of the environmental and health context, this document proposes an approach that helps identify the conditions under which public health professionals can intervene in the area. The approach is structured in four steps. The first part sets out to identify the stakeholders involved. The second part describes the characteristics of these stakeholders in terms of issues, perceptions, roles, expectations, and social demands related to the situation. The analysis of this data in the third step aims to identify what, in the case under study, may be particularly sensitive in light of the situation, particularly in terms of differences among the various stakeholders in the area. The fourth step invites the public health professional, beyond their initial assessment of the degree of public health concern derived from their own analysis of the situation, to determine the stance they should adopt regarding the balance between public health concerns and the importance of the social context. This approach clearly draws the line between the analysis that public health professionals who are not sociologists can conduct and the analysis that involves a deeper examination of the social context, which requires specific expertise in the humanities and social sciences. (R.A.)