An impressive number of health practitioners, researchers and acousticians around the world are voicing their concern about the effects of wind turbines on people’s health (1). Their list was just published by the Waubra Foundation, the European Platform Against Windfarms (EPAW) and the North-American Platform Against Windpower (NA-PAW), the latter two representing over 600 associations of windfarm victims from 27 countries. These health professionals should be honored, assert the three NGOs: it takes courage to uphold the rights of victims against the powerful coalition of vested interests which supports the wind industry.
"So, the largest public relations issue for the wind industry is Sarah Laurie? One woman against the deep pockets of the pro-wind lobby.
One woman speaking with local communities.
One woman gathering data about the other side of your story, the one not covered in your press releases, presentations, websites, newsletters, advertisements, promoted by your highly paid PR consultants, and not covered by the Clean Energy Council with its army of lobbyists and government access.
One woman speaking out, working for two and a half years as a volunteer. What a compliment!" (2)
Sarah Laurie is a physician who has taken time off to fight her own cancer, and look after her family. “She is by no means an `ex-doctor´,”says EPAW’s Mark Duchamp.
“She replied to that libelous spin at a Senate hearing on wind turbines” (3).
Dr Nina Pierpoint, PhD, MD, who intensively studied the health problems of 10 windfarm neighbor families, and coined the phrase
Wind Turbine Syndrome in the process, has also been attacked and vilified. “Yet her meticulous, scholarly and pioneering work has been used around the world by turbine victims and their physicians, to better understand the reported symptoms and illnesses.
The study has been rigorously peer reviewed, translated into multiple languages, and even quoted by health officials”, adds Duchamp. Dr Sarah Laurie, CEO of the Waubra Foundation, fully agrees: “Dr Pierpont used her multidisciplinary skills and academic experience to evaluate the data she collected. Many of her colleagues do not understand why her study is so important, until they start seeing the sick people.”
Acousticians too are involved in the growing controversy (1). Some have published research demonstrating that wind turbines emit
infrasound and low frequency noise (
ILFN), and that these emissions
resonate inside homes to the point where residents sometimes resort to sleeping on the veranda rather than in their bedrooms. An important acoustic study, just published, concludes that "enough evidence and hypotheses have been given herein to classify LFN (low frequency noise) and infrasound as
a serious issue, possibly affecting the future of the (wind) industry." (4)
What makes that study special, among all others that collected similar evidence?
Sherri Lange of NA-PAW replies: “It was conducted by four different firms of acousticians: two of them have done work for the wind industry, whereas the other two never did. The idea was to ensure
objectivity.”
Not least among acousticians speaking up for the victims is
Professor Henrik Moeller, Denmark’s most highly regarded acoustician. In spite of the risk for his career, he has severely criticized his government for manipulating the data to allow the siting of wind turbines too close to homes. We know now that this causes chronic sleep deprivation, leading to a
debilitated immune system and a variety of diseases.
“This list below reveals some of the true heroes of our times. They will be vindicated,”
concludes Lange.
Contacts:
LINKS:
To follow the heated battle as it unfolds in Australia: (
Link)
Health effects of ILFN can cause death:
To access Dr Pierpont’s peer reviewed study and other material: (
Link)
FOOTNOTES:
(1) - List of health practitioners, researchers and acousticians who have investigated or voiced concern for the health and well-being of wind turbine neighbors: see at the end, or Pdf attached, or go to: (
Link)
(2) -
Wind energy and the reconstructed smoking milk bottle
(3) -
Parliament of Australia
(4) -
Low Frequency and Infrasound at the Shirley Wind Farm in Brown County, Wisconsin
The quote itself is to be found here, just before 5.0 Recommendations:
Report Number 122412-1 21-18-12 FINAL (3).pdf
Below is the list of health practitioners, researchers and acousticians who have investigated or voiced concerns for the health of wind turbine neighbors -- apologies to those we forgot to mention, and please advise us of errors and omissions at
dmette@epaw.org
In alphabetical order
1 -- Professor Mariana Alves Pereira, Biomechanical Engineer (Portugal, 2007)
2 -- Dr Ian Arra, Public Health Physician (Canada, 2013)
3 -- Mr Stephen Ambrose, Noise Engineer (USA, 2011)
4 -- Associate Professor Jeffrey Aramini, Epidemiologist (Canada, 2010)
5 -- Dr Huub Bakker, Engineer, (New Zealand, 2010)
6 -- Dr Linda Benier, Ear Nose & Throat specialist (Canada, 2011)
7 -- Dr Owen Black, Ear Nose & Throat specialist (USA, 2009)
8 -- Mr Wade Bray, Noise Engineer (USA, 2011)
9 -- Professor Arline Bronzaft, Psychologist & Researcher (US, 2010)
10 -- Dr Nuno Castelo Branco, Pathologist (Portugal, 2007)
11 -- Dr Christian Buhl, Institute of Biomedicine, Aarhus University (Denmark)
12 -- Dr Micheal Cooke, General Practitioner (Ireland, 2012)
13 -- Mr Steven Cooper, Acoustician (Australia, 2011)
14 -- Dr Herb Coussos, Medical Practitioner (US, 2010)
15 -- Dr R Crunkhorne, Ear Nose & Throat specialist (UK, 2013)
16 -- Mrs Jane Davis, Nurse (UK, 2010)
17 -- Professor Phillip Dickinson, Acoustician (New Zealand, 2009)
18 -- Associate Professor Con Doolan, Mechanical Engineer (Australia, 2012)
19 -- Mr Chuck Ebbing, Noise Engineer (USA. 2013)
20 -- Dr Alun Evans, Epidemiologist (Ireland, 2011)
21 -- Dr Amir Farboud, Ear Nose & Throat Specialist (UK, 2013)
22 -- Professor Jerome Haller, Neurology and Paediatrics (US, 2008)
23 -- Professor Colin Hansen, Mechanical Engineer (Australia, 2010)
24 -- Dr Chris Hanning, Sleep Physician (UK, 2010)
25 -- Professor John Harrison, Physicist (Canada, 2010)
26 -- Dr Amanda Harry, Rural Medical Practitioner (UK, 2003),
27 -- Professor Henry Horn, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (US, 2008)
28 -- Mr Les Huson, Acoustician (Australia, 2011)
29 -- Dr David Iser, Rural Medical Practitioner (Australia, 2004),
30 -- Associate Professor Rick James, Noise Engineer (USA, 2009)
31 -- Dr Roy Jeffrey, Rural Medical Practitioner (Canada, 2010)
32 -- Dr Mauri Johansson, Occupational Physician (Denmark, 2012)
33 -- Mr George Kamperman, Noise Engineer (USA, 2009)
34 -- Professor Ralph Katz, Epidemiologist (US, 2008)
35 -- Dr Noel Kerin, Occupational Physician (Canada, 2010)
36 -- Ms Carmen Krogh, Pharmacist, Researcher (Canada, 2009)
37 -- Dr Eckhard Kuck, Oral Surgeon (Germany, 2012)
38 -- Dr Sarah Laurie, Former Rural Medical Practitioner (Australia, 2010)
39 -- Dr David Lawrence, Rural Medical Practitioner (USA, 2012)
40 -- Professor Joel Lehrer, Earn Noise & Throat specialist (US, 2008)
41 -- Dr Hazel Lynn, Medical Officer of Health, Grey/Bruce County, ON (Canada, 2012)
42 -- Dr Robert McMurtry, Former Dean of Medical & Dental School, University of Western Ontario (Canada, 2010)
43 -- Dr Andja Mitric Andjic, Rural Medical Practitioner (Australia, 2011)
44 -- Dr Sarah Myhill, Rural Medical Practitioner, Wales (UK, 2012)
45 -- Professor Henrik Moller, Acoustician, Aalborg University (Denmark, 2011)
46 -- Dr Michael Nissenbaum, Medical Practitioner (US, 2010),
47 -- Dr Helen Parker, Psychologist (US, 2011)
48 -- Dr Robyn Phipps, Researcher (NZ, 2007)
49 -- Professor Christian Sejer Pedersen, Acoustician (Denmark, 2011)
50 -- Dr Eja Pedersen, Medical Sociologist (Sweden, 2006)
51 -- Dr Nina Pierpont, PhD, MD, Specialist Paediatrician, Fellow American Academy of Paediatrics (US, 2009)
52 -- Professor Carl Phillips, Epidemiologist (USA, 2010)
53 -- Dr Peter Prinds, Physician (Denmark)
54 -- Mr Rob Rand, Noise Engineer (USA, 2011)
55 -- Mr Bruce Rapley, Scientist (NZ, 2013)
56 -- Dr Sandy Reider, Medical Practitioner (USA, 2013)
57 -- Professor Alec Salt, Neurophysiologist (USA, 2010)
58 -- Dr Paul Schomer, Noise Engineer (USA, 2012)
59 -- Norma Schmidt, Retired Nurse (Canada, 2010)
60 -- Associate Professor Vivi Schunsslen, Occupational Physician (Denmark, 2012)
61 -- Dr Daniel Shepherd, Psychologist, Psychoacoustician (New Zealand, 2010)
62 -- Dr Wayne Spring, Sleep Physician (Australia, 2011)
63 -- Mr Mike Stigwood, Acoustician (UK)
64 -- Dr Scott Taylor, Rural Medical Practitioner (Australia, 2011)
65 -- Dr Henning Theorell, Medical Practitioner (Sweden, 2012)
66 -- Dr Bob Thorne, Psychoacoustician (Australia, NZ)
67 -- Mr Peter Trask, Psychologist (Australia, 2012)
68 -- Dr A Trinidade, Ear Nose & Throat specialist (UK, 2013)
69 -- Dr Alan Watts, Rural Medical Practitioner (Australia, 2011)
70 -- Dr Colleen Watts, Scientist (Australia, 2011)
71 -- Associate Professor Libby Wheatley, Medical Sociologist (USA, 2012)
WHO definition of Health
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.
Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19-22 June, 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States (Official Records of the World Health Organization, no. 2, p. 100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948.
The Definition has not been amended since 1948.
Extract from British Institute of Acoustics Code of Conduct
All members of the Institute shall at all times:
- order their conduct as to uphold the dignity and reputation of the profession and of the Institute and of its members and officers
- safeguard the public interest in matters of safety, health and the environment
- exercise their professional skill and judgement to the best of their ability
- discharge their professional responsibilities with integrity, honesty and diligence.
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