Health and Noise



  • One of the most common alternative energy sources promoted by the U.S. government and the current Maine administration is wind power. In a paper that she wrote last February called “Wind Turbine Neuro-Acoustical Issues," Mills, an ardent proponent of wind power who denies sleep-related disturbances due to wind turbine noise, wrote that wind turbines in Maine would decrease the incidence of many diseases including asthma, allergies, lung cancer and cardiac diseases. The statement was based on the assumption that wind power in Maine would displace conventional electrical power plants' fuel of coal, oil and gas, and that the sacrifice of the mountain ridges for the erection of thousands of turbines was a necessary trade-off for the health benefits that would accrue to Mainers from the decreased pollution. On the surface, that seems like a reasonable position. But for those of us who have dug deeper into the hypothesis, the facts paint a very different picture that shows there is no connection between the goal of 2,700 megawatts of installed wind turbine capacity in Maine and improved air quality for Mainers. Benefits of wind are unproven, hypothetical Sun Journal

  • Nicholas Schaut of Meaford says he was so stressed from years of living near a Shelburne wind farm that he can’t stay long on return visits to his former home. He’s saddened to see that once happy community disrupted as wind farms pit neighbour against neighbour, some favouring them for the money they bring in, others opposed for reasons of health, noise and unsightliness.“This kind of industrial development is ripping communities apart,” Schaut told hundred of people who filled the main hall of Centre Wellington District High School Thursday night. If they allow Chicago’s Invenergy LLC to construct 25 to 35 wind turbines on 4,000 acres near Belwood, “I believe you will regret it,” he warned.“Turbines,” Schaut stressed, “do not make good neighbours.” Guelph Mercury

  • Towering turbines generate animosity in rural Illinois. One county’s wind farm may reap revenues, but some residents are sick over - maybe from - them. Maine Sunday Telegram

  • Amongst the participants were many of us who are neighbors of the turbines. Although our group overwhelmingly supported the project, we now live with the daily presence of turbine noise, 24/7. As one of the Fox Islands Wind Neighbors (FIWN) recently noted, "We support the windmills, but not the noise." Opinion: Hard lessons from the Fox Islands, by Sally Wylie. Working Waterfront.com

  • Maine Medical Association, 2009 Annual Session: Wind Energy and Public Health

  • Mars Hill Wind turbine Project Health Effects - Preliminary Findings. By Michael A. Nissenbaum, MD

  • May 2006, the construction of a wind farm comprising eight 2MW turbines was completed 930m from Jane and Julian Davis's farm. One year later, they moved out. Julian Davis explains: "Our original view on wind farms was that we didn't believe there was anything wrong with them, we were in favour of the development. We had very little contact with the developers or the council prior to the build, but from most of the research we looked at, we couldn't believe there would be any problems in terms of noise or anything else. The family that left. Windaction.com

  • Government of Novia Scotia. Renewable Energy - Wind Turbine Noise gov.ns.ca

  • Please see these important links on Maine health effects of  Wind Turbines and what has happened in Mars Hil and other places. Doctors in Maine are standing up and refuting false claims by the Wind Industry on this important issue. There are serious consequences to those communities naive to think  that this doesn't exist, and who won't act via their  ordinances and governing bodies in  appropriate ways to protect their citizens. Wind Turbines and Health, an interview with Dr. Nissenbaum Windaction.com

  • Wind Turbine Syndrome is the clinical name I have given to the constellation of symptoms experienced by many (though not all) people who find themselves living near industrial wind turbines: sleep problems (insomnia), headaches, dizziness, unsteadiness, nausea, exhaustion, anxiety, anger, irritability, depression, memory loss, eye problems, problems with concentration and learning, tinnitus (ringing in the ears). As industrial windplants proliferate close to people’s homes and anywhere else people regularly congregate (schools, nursing homes, places of business, etc.), Wind Turbine Syndrome likely will become an industrial plague. By Dr. Nina Pierpont Wind turbine syndrome

  • Sound levels: Mars Hill Communication with Rick James link

  • Living with turbines - a personal account By Wendy Todd, Mars Hill, more than a year after the turbines went on line.

  • Discontent of Mars Hill residents leads to lawsuite against First Wind, citing noise and health concerns and seeking compensation of property value Read the whole text

  • An investigation into wind farms and noise by The Noise Association, UK. “Peace and quiet is the single most important factor people have in mind when buying a home – with one in five prospective homebuyers rating it as the most important consideration when choosing where they will buy.” Location, Location, Location

  • European wind noise study shows need for new guidelines Renewable Energy Foundation

  • The papers consider the effects of wind turbine acoustics on health, e.g., sleep deprivation and related adverse effects. Evidence from research papers confirms that noise radiation delivered with specific character and dosage can trigger serious health problems. Wind Turbines: Noise, health and human rights issues Noise, Health and Human Rights Issues

  • If we are to forge a reliable energy future that is respectful of both the environment and the rights of neighbors, we'll need to move past knee-jerk reactions on both sides, and develop best practices that can ensure that the landscape and local residents don't become long-term casualties of today's "Klondike Wind Rush. "Wind energy impact, by Jim Cummings Wind Farms and Noise

  • How loud is too loud? People often ask, "What is a responsible noise level from industrial wind turbines, to protect the health of nearby residents?" And, "How should background noise levels be properly measured prior to turbine construction, and how should noise levels be measured after the turbines are up and running?" Here are concrete answers from two prominent noise engineers. Wind turbine syndrome

  • Scott Miller of ATV.CA talks to three families who claim their lives have been ruined by the turbines. Wind turbines and public health Part 1 Video and Part 2...Video

  • This report appeared in an edition of Advance for Audiologists, a trade magazine for professional audiologists. "Noise pollution could be blowing in the wind, but more evidence is needed" Read the whole text

  • Noise and vibration coming from large turbines are behind an increase in heart disease, migraine, panic attacks and other health problems, according to research by an American doctor The Independent

  • Wind: the next battlefront. Janice Harvey is a freelance columnist and president of the New Brunswick Green Party. "Everything has limits, even renewable energy developments. Until we learn that lesson, we will continue to make big mistakes" Telegraph-Journal



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