This article focuses upon longstanding controversy surrounding the health impact of air pollution from steel and chemical industries in the conurbation of Teesside, in Northeast England. Drawing on Ulrich Beck's analysis of risk, it presents a commentary on the ways in which epidemiological findings are incorporated or marginalised in conflicting public health narratives in Teesside, taking recent epidemiological research on mortality patterns for detailed scrutiny. I argue that where public health issues are contentious and politicised, inconclusiveness in such research plays a significant part in sustaining a “narrative of reassurance” about the possible health or environmental costs of living close to industrial operations.