We are dismayed that the recently released Health Canada Wind Turbine Noise and Health Study has ignored the distress of real people by hiding behind meaningless “estimated” noise projections and predictive modeling rather than first making professional clinical observations based on the histories of actual sufferers. Investigation of anecdotal evidence is the foundation of all medicine. The Health Canada study summary contains no reference to the growing body of research that contradicts the main theme of the summary. Our Grey-Bruce Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Hazel Lynn has found 18 peer-reviewed studies that “provide reasonable evidence . . . that an association exists between wind turbines and distress in humans”. The Brown County (Wisconsin) Board of Health has declared its wind turbines a “public health nuisance” and a “human health hazard for all people . . . who are exposed to Infrasound/Low Frequency Noise and other emissions potentially harmful to human health”.
Key findings contradict summary of results
The key findings have been released without data for verification and without peer review. Epidemiologists have pointed out that the study lacks scientific credibility. Gaps, biases and errors in methodology make it unreliable. For example, only 1234 out of the 2004 dwellings selected responded to the survey compromising its validity. Only 20% of the homes studied were “near” turbines. And yet homes up to 10 kilometres away were included, diluting the results from the homes near the turbines. And the serious issues of low frequency noise, cyclical sound and amplitude modulation were simply overlooked.
At the same time, the study contradicts itself. It found that wind turbine noise is “statistically related to several self-reported health effects including blood pressure, migraines, tinnitus, dizziness, and disturbed sleep”. And yet the key findings which have been widely publicized claim that “no evidence was found to support a link between exposure to wind turbine noise and any of the self-reported illnesses”. Does Health Canada no longer advocate the precautionary principle which calls for rigorous caution when the safety of any group is even remotely threatened, acknowledging that lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures to protect them?
It is our belief that that the premature marketing of the key findings has been a disservice to the people of Canada, an insult to those who continue to suffer the adverse effects of the turbines, and has resulted in loss of respect and credibility for Health Canada. We await your explanation as to how Health Canada came to its conclusion that there are no health problems when obviously there are.
Yours truly,
Mark Davis, Chair
Deputy Mayor, Arran-Elderslie
References
Ambrose S.E, Rand, R.W (December 2011), Adverse Health Effects Produced By Large Industrial Wind Turbines Confirmed, The Bruce McPherson Infrasound and Low Frequency Noise Study.
Arra I, Lynn H, Barker K, et al. (2014-05-23 11:51:41 UTC) Systematic Review 2013: Association Between Wind Turbines and Human Distress. Cureus 6(5): e183. doi:10.7759/cureus.183.
Bray W and James R. (2011). “Dynamic measurements of wind turbine acoustic signals, employing sound quality engineering methods considering the time and frequency sensitivities of human perception”. Proceedings of Noise-Con 2011, Portland, Oregon, 25-27 July 2011. Curran Associates, 2011.
Cooper, S. The Measurement of Infrasound and Low Frequency Noise for Wind Farms (amended version). 5th International Conference On Wind Turbine Noise Denver 28-30 August 2013. Steven Cooper The Acoustic Group Pty Ltd, Sydney, NSW, 2040.
Enbom H & Enbom I (2013) “Infrasound from wind turbines: An overlooked health hazard,” Läkartidningen, vol. 110 pp. 1388-89.
Hanning C & Evans A (2012) “Wind turbine noise”, British Medical Journal 344, e1527.
James R. Opening Statement Nov 18, 2013 hearing. BluEarth Project, Bull Creek, Alberta.
Krogh C, Gillis L, N. Kouwen N, and Aramini J. (2011) “WindVOiCe, a self-reporting survey: adverse health effects, industrial wind turbines and the need for vigilance monitoring.” Bull. Sci. Tech. Soc. 31 334-339.
Kugler K, Wiegrebe L, Grothe B, Kössl M, Gürkov R, Krause E, Drexl M. 2014 Low-frequency sound affects active micromechanics in the human inner ear. R. Soc. open sci. 1: 140166.
Nissenbaum M, Armani J & Hanning D. (2012) “Effects of industrial wind turbine noise on sleep and health”, Noise and Health 14, 237-243.
Phillips C. (2011) “Properly interpreting the epidemiologic evidence about the health effects of industrial wind turbines on nearby residents”, Bull. Sci. Tech. Soc. 31 303-315.
Salt, Alec N. and Lichtenhan, Jeffery T. “How Does Wind Turbine Noise Affect People? The many ways by which unheard infrasound and low-frequency sound from wind turbines could distress people living nearby are described”. Acoustics Today, A publication of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 10, Issue 1, Winter, 2014.
Schomer P, Erdreich J, Boyle J, Pamidighantam P. A proposed theory to explain some adverse physiological effects of the infrasonic emissions at some wind farm sites. 5th International Conference on Wind Turbine Noise, Denver, 28-30 August 2013.
Shepherd D, McBride D, Welch D, Dirks K and Hill E. (2011) “Evaluating the impact of wind turbine noise on health-related quality of life”, Noise and Health 13, 333-339.
Walker B, Hessler G, Hessler D, Rand R, Schomer P (2012), A Cooperative Measurement Survey and Analysis of Low Frequency and Infrasound at the Shirley Wind Farm in Brown County, Wisconsin, Report number 122412-1.
CC:
- Senator Bob Runciman bob.runciman@sen.parl.gc.ca
- Senator Richard Neufeld, Chair Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources richard.neufeld@sen.parl.gc.ca
- Eve Adams, MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health eve.adams@parl.gc.ca
- Libby Davies, MP, NDP Health Critic libby.davies@parl.gc.ca
- Danny Morin, MP, Standing Committee on Health dany.morin@parl.gc.ca
- Hon. Dr. Hedy Fry, MP, Liberal Health Critic hedy.fry@parl.gc.ca
- André Bellavance, MP, Bloc Québécois Health Critic andre.bellavance@parl.gc.ca
- Ben Lobb, MP, Huron-Bruce ben.lobb@parl.gc.ca
- Larry Miller, MP, Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound larry.miller@parl.gc.ca
- Patricia Davidson, MP, Sarnia-Lambton pat.davidson@parl.gc.ca
- Garry Schellenberger, MP, Perth-Wellington gary.schellenberger@parl.gc.ca
- Michael Chong, MP, Wellington-Halton Hills michael.chong@parl.gc.ca
- David Tilson, MP, Dufferin-Caledon tilsod@parl.gc.ca
- Hon. Dr. Eric Hoskins, MPP, Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care ehoskins.mpp@liberal.ola.org
- Christine Elliott, MPP, PC Health Critic christine.elliott@pc.ola.org
- France Gélinas, MPP, NDP Health Critic fgelinas-qp@ndp.on.ca
- Andrea Horwath, MPP, ahorwath-co@ndp.on.ca
- Lisa Thompson MPP, Huron-Bruce lisa.thompson@pc.ola.org
- Bill Walker, MPP Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound bill.walker@pc.ola.org
- Michael Harris, MPP, Kitchener-Conestoga michael.harrisqp@pc.ola.org
- Vic Fideli, MPP, Nipissing vic.fedeli@pc.ola.org
- John Yakabuski, MPP PC Energy Critic john.yakabuski@pc.ola.org
- Lisa MacLeod, MPP, Nepean-Carleton lisa.macleod@pc.ola.org
- Randy Pettapiece, MPP, Perth-Wellington randy.pettapiece@pc.ola.org
- Ted Arnott, MPP, Wellington-Halton Hills ted.arnott@pc.ola.org
- Sylvia Jones, MPP, Dufferin-Caledon sylvia.jones@pc.ola.org
- Monte McNaughton, MPP, Lambton-Kent-Middlesex monte.mcnaughton@pc.ola.org
Multi-municipal wind turbine working group
Mark Davis, Deputy Mayor, Arran-Elderslie, Chair
Stewart Halliday, deputy Mayor, Grey Highlands, Co-Chair