At 11:40 a.m. on August 13, residents of the unrecognized Bedouin village of Wadi El Na'am in the Negev heard a loud explosion and began to smell a noxious odor. Unbeknownst to them, an explosion at the Machteshim chemical plant in Ramat Hovav, an industrial site next to the village, shot an unknown quantity of potentially lethal insecticide into the atmosphere, injuring nine workers and endangering area residents.

After researching the event and producing a 50-page report called "Life on the Edge," a SHATIL-led consortium of environmental and human rights organizations sharply criticized the government's inaction, after thousands of Negev residents were exposed to the toxic substance.

According to the report, the 5,000 residents of Wadi El Na'am received no notification of the accident and no instructions on how to react. Even though similar accidents had occurred in the area in the past, and residents had petitioned the authorities many times, no mechanisms for the residents' protection had been established. The authorities did not conduct medical examinations of the population after the incident.

The report warns of possible future deaths if appropriate steps are not taken. 

The Jerusalem Post quoted the report: "Even though the danger was known and despite the many warnings regarding the need to establish a system of measures to protect the villagers, the state authorities did not take the necessary measures."

A 2004 Health Ministry Study revealed that area residents were exposed to serious health hazards due to their proximity to dangerous materials at Ramat Hovav, but so far the government has not acted on its own report.

SHATIL, the Wadi El Na'am Residents' Committee, Green Course, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), Physicians for Human Rights and Bimkom – Planners for Human Rights called for an independent, professional investigative committee that will examine official failures during this serious incident and help formulate policy regarding toxic materials in Ramat Hovav.

The report was dedicated to the memory of Alona Vardi, long time director of SHATIL's Environmental Justice program and an inspiration to an entire generation of Israeli environmental activists, who passed away last year.