The following is the first in a series of reports from the first International Symposium on the Global Wind Industry and Adverse Health Effects, held from Oct. 29 to 31.
PICTON – The symposium had Dr. John Harrison, professor emeritus with the physics department at Queen’s University, presenting his work on the Disconnect Between Turbine Noise Guidelines and Health Authority Recommendations.
Harrison explained the World Health Organization recommends the noise level in a bedroom be a maximum of 30 decibels (dBA) to avoid sleep disturbance. Ontario sets the limit for wind turbine noise at 40dBA, with a setback of 550 metres, depending on the size of the industrial wind farm. The consensus of health organizations around the world, Harrison said, is that a minimum of 1.5 kilometres be the set back from residences.
Harrison went on to illustrate the majority of the energy of wind turbine noise is in the low frequency spectrum, which travels greater distances than the high frequency noise waves. He said these low frequency noise waves are not readily filtered out and travel through building materials into living space.
He explained the noise of wind turbines creates greater annoyance than that of constant background white noise, such as traffic, of the same sound level. This is due to the undulating noise of the wind blades passing the wind tower thus producing the “whooshing” sound that some find particularly stressful.
Harrison’s research agrees with health organizations and he feels the minimum residential setback in Ontario should be a minimum of 1.5 to 2km.
The keynote speaker at the conference was Dr. Nina Pierpont, a behavioural pediatric doctor from New York, who talked about “wind turbine syndrome.” She defined the syndrome as the effect of infrasound (low frequency sounds – below 20 dBA – not perceptible to the human ear.
According to Pierpont, those sounds cause sleep disturbance, headaches, balance difficulties, ringing in the ears, problems with thinking and memory, and, in some cases, panic attacks. She conducted an in-depth study with 38 people living in the area of wind turbines who were seriously considering moving away from their homes.
Seven out of 10 children in her study did worse in school after exposure to the wind turbines, as reported by teachers and parents. Allegedly exposure to noise affected language-based learning.
Pierpont said 90 per cent of adults and children in the study had cognitive difficulties and struggled with short-term memory, concentration, and balance problems. She stated it is necessary to set the residential setbacks for turbines at a minimum of 2km.
Following Pierpont’s presentation, Dr. Alec Salt, a researcher with department of otolaryngology at Washington University in St. Louis, spoke about infrasound.
He explained the cochlea and inner hairs of the inner ear detects sounds that humans hear audibly. The outer ear hairs are stimulated by the lower frequency spectrum (not audible) and pass this sense on to the brain. Salt said the effects of living with these lower frequencies include ringing in the ear (tinnitus), disequilibrium and sleep disturbance. According to him, some people living near wind turbines have abandoned their homes because of the affects of this “unheard” noise.
Arline Bronzaft, a professor from the City University of New York, followed with a presentation on the affects of noise. Her book, Top of the Class, deals with the affects of noise on students. She believes intrusive noise affects children’s cardiovascular system, memory, language development, and learning acquisition. The noise of wind turbines can have a profound affect on people living or working near them, she said, adding “an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.” To ignore noise studies will subject more people to harm, Bronzaft said.
Finally, Dr. Christopher Hanning, an honorary consultant in sleep disorder medicine in the UK, presented his findings on The Torment of Sleep Disturbance. He explained the normal sleep pattern, and then talked about the effect noise can have on this pattern. The noise from wind turbines is more annoying than traffic, aircraft and almost every industrial sound, he said.
Some people living near turbines complain the noise affects their sleep. Hanning said that can lead to fatigue, headache, nausea, memory loss, and possibly severe medical problems. He, too, stressed turbines should be located at least 1.5km from homes, and preferably 2km away.
Next week: More on the alleged health effects and a look at a legal case already underway in Ontario. More details on the conference can be found at windvigilance.com.
