How Annoying is Noise from Wind Turbines?

Image via WikipediaHealth Effects and Wind Turbines: A Review of the Literature (23 page pdf, Loren D Knopper & Christopher A Ollson, Environmental Health, Sep. 14, 2011)

Today we examine the results of an extensive literature review about the possible health effects from wind turbine noise, a relevant topic for many who live in cities adjacent to developing wind farms, especially in the province of Ontario in Canada where incentives are in place to encourage wind energy. The results of the review indicate no physical health effect although wind turbines annoy some people merely because of their visibility. The degree of acceptance of this annoyance becomes a factor in the decision for politicians to allow wind turbines and not a challenge for physicians.

Key Quotes:

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of infirmity or disease” (World Health Organization)

“many regulatory minimum setback distances have been established world-wide to reduce or avoid potential complaints from or potential effects for people living in proximity to wind turbines.. [in Ontario]a minimum setback distance of 550 m must exist between the centre of the base of the wind turbine and the nearest noise receptor (e.g., a building or campground)”

“no peer reviewed articles demonstrate a direct causal link between people living in proximity to modern wind turbines, the noise they emit and resulting physiological health effects”

“it appears that it is the change in the environment that is associated with reported health effects and not a turbine-specific variable like audible noise or infrasound”

“Peer reviewed and scientifically defensible studies suggest that annoyance and health effects are more strongly related to subjective factors like visual impact and attitude to wind turbines rather than to noise itself (both audible and inaudible [i.e., infrasound])”

Key Points:

• ”People tend to notice sound from wind turbines almost linearly with increasing sound pressure level.
• A proportion of people that notice sound from wind turbines find it annoying
• Annoyance is not only related to wind turbine noise but also to subjective factors like attitude to visual impact, attitude to wind turbines and sensitivity to noise
• Turbines are designed not to pose a risk of photo-induced epilepsy
• The human ear responds to infrasound”

“Ultimately it is up to governments to decide the level of acceptable annoyance in a population that justifies the use of wind power as an alternative energy source”

Related articles

• Wind turbine debate sparked in Ontario election (windconcernsontario.wordpress.com)
• Wind turbine debate sparked in Ontario election (cbc.ca)
• Wind Turbines Blow Off Freedom of Speech (windconcernsontario.wordpress.com)
• Suit alleges wind turbine harming family's health (windsorstar.com)
• Wind farm health risks claimed in $1.5M suit (cbc.ca)
• Wind-farm health risks claimed in $1.5M suit (cbc.ca)
• Ontario wind farm health risks downplayed: documents (windconcernsontario.wordpress.com)
• Residents will derail wind turbines, opposition group says (windconcernsontario.wordpress.com)
• Ont. wind farm health risks downplayed: documents (cbc.ca)