Adverse Health Effects Reported for Wind Power in Ontario
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(April 23, 2009) According to the Canadian Press and CTV News, more and more people in Ontario are coming forward with complaints of illness and adverse health effects from living in proximity to wind turbine installations. Some people have moved away from the wind farms in order to combat the effects -- and found that their health issues cease within minutes of leaving the affected area, which is usually about 1 kilometre. The complaints are varied, but some are potentially serious:
- headaches
- heart palpitations
- sleeplessness
- nausea
- hearing problems
- stress, anxiety, and depression
Various citizens' groups are calling for conclusive scientific studies into the reported issues, while others (including the Canadian Wind Energy Association, or CanWEA) are denying the possibility of any such problems. CanWEA looked at this issue previously (news release, October 2008) and concluded "... there is no peer-reviewed scientific evidence indicating that wind turbines have an adverse impact on human health." However, CanWEA's news release seems to lack a couple relevant references that could have affected their conclusions.
- Perception and annoyance due to wind turbine noise—a dose–response relationship
- Wind turbine noise, annoyance and self-reported health and well-being in different living environments
Furthermore, the first reference listed in the October 2008 news release from CanWEA had this to say:
Attention should be focused on the audio frequency fluctuating swish, which some people may well find to be very disturbing and stressful, depending on its level. The usual equivalent level measurements and analyses are incomplete, as these measurements are taken over a time period which is much longer than the fluctuation period and information on the fluctuations is lost. A time varying sound is more annoying than a steady sound of the same average level and this is accounted for by reducing the permitted level of wind turbine noise. However, more work is required to ensure that the optimum levels have been set.
This was not one of the quotes CanWEA decided to include in their news release. They chose to focus on solely on the part of that paper that debunked the "infrasound" issue, and ignored the conclusion quoted above.
Every energy source has its benefits and its problems -- wind energy is likely no exception to this rule. Studies should be performed in Ontario to determine the potential health effects of wind turbine placement, and siting guidelines modified if necessary. For instance, a 1 kilometre standoff wouldn't seem unreasonable to me.
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