Adverse Health Effects

Overview

This  section  will  attempt  to  serve  as  a  guide to help individuals find information about the  rapidly  evolving  subject of  wind  turbine noise and  its  adverse effects on  human  health worldwide  and  in  the State  of Maine .

A FEW WORDS  OF HISTORY:

The first  observations recognizing a group  of  symptoms experienced  by people living  close to  wind turbine were  made in 2003 by  Doctor  Amanda  Harry  in  The  United  Kingdom. Since then, a number of others have begun studying and documenting wind turbines' effects on human health.

ENGLAND - Dr. Amanda Harry has conducted her own survey on the effects of wind turbine noise.  “I have recently had the opportunity to meet some people living near wind turbines.  The range of distance from the nearest turbine to their properties was 300 meters to one mile.  Of these, 93 percent said that they felt the effects of the turbines had adversely affected their lives.  93 percent are experiencing more headaches, and over 70 percent are having problems sleeping and suffering from anxiety symptoms.  Some people are having to leave their homes at times “to get away” from the nuisance.  In addition to this, much consideration should be made to the location of these structures so that they are not in a position to cause harm or distress to their neighbors.  The community as a whole should be involved in consultation and dialogue around planning issues-but, first full and independently acquired information should be made freely available to the general public. (Source-More attention must be paid to harmful affects, Dr. Amanda Harry).

UNITED STATES - In  2004 , shortly after wind developers showed  up in  her  community , Doctor  Nina Pierpont ,from  Malone in Franklin County , New  York  started  to investigate similar complaints to those recorded  by  Doctor Harry  in  her  own practice and reported the " sensation of  vibration or  pulsation in the chest " expressed  by  some of  her  patients. In  her  2009 book  "Wind Turbine Syndrome", Dr. Pierpont addresses the  effects  of  low -frequency sound or inaudible sound .

MAINE - shortly: after wind  turbines came  on line in Mars Hill , Freedom and Vinalhaven , complaints were recorded and  analyzed by  Doctor Michael Nissenbaum ,( Northern Maine Medical Center ) his work  is  now  available in the following  report ;Nissenbaum et al ICBEN 2011-_0158:10th International Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem (ICBEN) 2011, London, UK

 "Adverse health effects of industrial wind turbines: a preliminary report"

 Michael Nissenbaum MD1, Jeff Aramini PhD2, Chris Hanning MD3

 1 Northern Maine Medical Center, Fort Kent, Maine, USA, mnissenbaum@att.net

 2 Intelligent Health Solutions Inc., Fergus, Ontario, Canada, jeff.aramini@gmail.com

 3 University Hospitals of Leicester, Leicester, UK, chrisdhanning@tiscali.co.uk

Table of Contents

2/1/07 - Wind Turbines, Noise and Health by Dr. Amanda Harry

1/10/08 - Maine DEP Standards on Noise and Shadow Flicker at Wind Power Projects (from the Report of the Governor's Task Force on Wind Power Development)

11/25/09 - "Wind Turbine Syndrome" - the Official Website

1/11/10 - Wind Turbines Can Cause Adverse Health Effects (Society for Wind Vigilance) - includes Mars Hill information and Maine Medical Association Resolution

7/7/11 - Letter to Maine BEP from Robert Rand, Acoustician

7/7/11 - Testimony letter to Maine BEP from Robert Rand, Acoustician

7/7/11 - Community Reactions and Criteria - Wind Turbine Noise (presentation to Maine BEP by Robert Rand, Acoustician)

7/19/11 - Properly Interpreting the Epidemiologic Evidence about the Health Effects of Industrial Wind Turbines on Nearby Residents - Carl V. Phillips, PhD

7/24/11 - Adverse health effects of industrial wind turbines: a preliminary report - Michael Nissenbaum MD, Jeff Aramini PhD, Chris Hanning MD

9/1/11 - Evaluating the impact of wind turbine noise on health-related quality of life - Daniel Shepherd, David McBride, David Welch, Kim N. Dirks, Erin M. Hill as published in the journal Noise & Health

12/14/11 - The Bruce McPherson ILFN Study

 2/1/12 - Dr. Nina Pierpont interviews

Contents

2/1/07 - Wind Turbines, Noise and Health by Dr. Amanda Harry

Download PDF: wtnoise_health_2007_a_harry.pdf

Source: http://docs.wind-watch.org/wtnoise_health_2007_a_harry.pdf

1/10/08 - Maine DEP Standards on Noise and Shadow Flicker at Wind Power Projects (from the Report of the Governor's Task Force on Wind Power Development)

Download PDF: DEP%20Memo%20on%20Noise.pdf

When reviewing this document, please recognize that the Executive Order establishing the Governor's Task Force on Wind Power Development on 5/8/07 called for "examining the regulatory process and review criteria by which wind power projects currently are evaluated in Maine, identify barriers to wind power development...and propose policy changes that would help facilitate the development of wind power in Maine".  (Download PDF: exec_order.pdf )

In other words, the game was rigged so the house would win and the people would lose. As the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting wrote on 8/11/10, "There was never a mandate for the task force to examine the relative merits of wind power development in Maine. Instead, members started from the assumption that wind power should be developed in Maine, and the sooner, the better."

Even though the DEP Commissioner at the time, David Littell (now a Maine PUC Commissioner) recognized in  his  conclusions  and  recommendations to  the  Governor's Task Force  that " Noise generated  from  wind turbines does  have attributes that warrant particular focus  in the review of  projects , INCLUDING  the low - frequency modulating noises generated as turbines blades  pass by  towers " . DEP never  suggested  to  include  C-scale as  a way  to more  accurately measure  low - frequency sound waves , because  Warren Brown , the state acoustic consultant considered the scale " preliminary and unrefined ".

11/25/09 - "Wind Turbine Syndrome" - the Official Book Website (complete with extensive information)

Excerpted from the site:

Need a crash course on WTS? If you've got only 10 minutes and you want to know what all this "Wind Turbine Syndrome" stuff is about—read "Inconvenient Truths," by Pierpont. Short and to the point.

If you want the latest clinical thinking on WTS, read "WTS and the Brain," likewise by Pierpont.

If you want more detail, but in plain English, read "Your Guide to WTS."

If you don't like reading, listen to the "Radio Interview with Pierpont."

If you're interested only in the noise and vibration from turbines, read "How Loud Is Too Loud," by Kamperman & James, two distinguished noise engineers.

If you want to read more, scroll down the page and start reading by topic—whatever topic interests you.

Source: http://www.windturbinesyndrome.com/whatis.html

The author's credentials:

Nina Pierpont, MD PhD

Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics

February 8, 2006

Education

1991 M.D. The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
1985 Ph.D. Princeton University (Behavioral Ecology)
1981 M.A. Princeton University (Behavioral Ecology)
1977 B.A. Yale University, National Merit Scholar (cum laude)

Post-Doctoral Training

1992 to 94 Pediatrics Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH
1991 to 92 Pediatrics Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC
1985 to 86 Ornithology American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY

Licensure and Certification

1997 Licensed Physician, New York
1997 Licensed Physician, New Hampshire (expired)
1995 Pediatric Advanced Life Support Instructor and Affiliate Faculty
1994 Diplomate, American Board of Pediatrics (recertified 2000, expires 2008)
1994 Licensed Physician, Alaska (expired)

Hospital or Affiliated Institution Appointments

10/00 to 12/03 Senior Attending in Pediatrics Bassett Healthcare, Cooperstown, NY
1997 to 00 Attending Pediatrician Alice Hyde Hospital, Malone, NY
1995 to 96 Chief of Pediatrics Yukon-Kuskokwim (Yup’ik Eskimo) Delta Regional Hospital, Bethel, AK
1994 to 95 Staff Pediatrician Yukon-Kuskokwim (Yup’ik Eskimo) Delta Regional Hospital, Bethel, AK

Other Professional Positions

2004 to … Private Practice (Solo) Pediatrics (emphasizing Behavioral Peds) Malone, NY
1998 to 00 Private Practice (Solo) Pediatrics Malone, NY (poorest county in state)
1997 to 00 Staff Pediatrician St. Regis Mohawk (Iroquois) Health Services, Hogansburg, NY
1997 to 98 Staff Pediatrician North Country Children's Clinic (clinic for needy children), Malone, NY

Academic Appointments

2000 to 03 Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics
Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons

Source: http://www.savewesternny.org/docs/pierpont_credentials.html

1/11/10 - Wind Turbines Can Cause Adverse Health Effects (Society for Wind Vigilance) - The zip file provided below contains multiple PDF's, including information on Mars Hill and a Maine Medical Association Resolution passed at its September 12, 2009 annual meeting

Download PDF's in Zip file: wind%20-vigilance%20awea-canwea%20critique%201.zip

7/7/11 - Letter to Maine BEP from Robert Rand, Acoustician and Member of the Institute for Noise Control Engineering

Download PDF: Rand%20-%20Maine%20resident%20statement%20to%20BEP%20afternoon%20July%207%202011.pdf

7/7/11 - Testimony letter to Maine BEP from Robert Rand, Acoustician and Member of the Institute for Noise Control Engineering

Download PDF: Rand%20testimony%20letter%20to%20Maine%20BEP%20July%207%202011.pdf

7/7/11 - Community Reactions and Criteria - Wind Turbine Noise (presentation to Maine BEP by Robert Rand, Acoustician)

Download PDF: Rand%20Presentation%20to%20BEP%20July%207%202011.pdf

7/19/11 - Properly Interpreting the Epidemiologic Evidence about the Health Effects of Industrial Wind Turbines on Nearby Residents - Carl V. Phillips, PhD

Excerpt:

There is overwhelming evidence that wind turbines cause serious health problems in nearbyresidents, usually stress-disorder type diseases, at a nontrivial rate.

Download PDF: Phillips-1.pdf

When this was received, it came with the following note:

"... I didn't notice any mention of people living with health effects that go unreported because of sound easements (gag orders, non disclosure, non-dispagement clauses) that wind developers get people to sign to keep them from complaining or speaking out. There was also no mention of the effect of turbine noise or shadow flicker on wildlife. The event reports at the end of the appendix are very sad to read.If you’re in a lawsuit, send it to your attorney. If going to a hearing, bring it with you and summarize it and put it into evidence. Send it to your STATE’S ATTORNEY, PSB, State and Federal legislators, health dep'ts, etc... "

7/24/11 - Adverse health effects of industrial wind turbines: a preliminary report - Michael Nissenbaum MD, Jeff Aramini PhD, Chris Hanning MD

Excerpt:

We conclude that IWT noise at these two sites disrupts the sleep and adversely affectsthe health of those living nearby. The current ordinances determining setback are inadequateto protect the residents and setbacks of less than 1.5 km must be regarded asunsafe. Further research is needed to determine a safe setback distance and to investigatethe mechanisms of causation.

Download PDF: Nissenbaum%20et%20al%20ICBEN2011_0158_final.pdf

9/1/11 - Evaluating the impact of wind turbine noise on health-related quality of life - Daniel Shepherd, David McBride, David Welch, Kim N. Dirks, Erin M. Hill as published in the journal Noise & Health.

September-October 2011 | Volume 13 | Issue 54

Abstract

We report a cross-sectional study comparing the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of individuals residing in theproximity of a wind farm to those residing in a demographically matched area sufficiently displaced from wind turbines.The study employed a nonequivalent comparison group posttest-only design. Self-administered questionnaires, whichincluded the brief version of the World Health Organization quality of life scale, were delivered to residents in twoadjacent areas in semirural New Zealand. Participants were also asked to identify annoying noises, indicate their degreeof noise sensitivity, and rate amenity. Statistically significant differences were noted in some HRQOL domain scores,with residents living within 2 km of a turbine installation reporting lower overall quality of life, physical quality of life,and environmental quality of life. Those exposed to turbine noise also reported significantly lower sleep quality, andrated their environment as less restful. Our data suggest that wind farm noise can negatively impact facets of HRQOL.

Download PDF: NAH_2011.pdf

12/14/11 - The Bruce McPherson ILFN Study

2/1/12 - Dr. Nina Pierpont interviews (posting date)

Falmouth, Massachusetts, has become Ground Zero for the global fight over stupidly placed industrial wind turbines. Many people in Falmouth are reporting classic WTS symptoms; our website is loaded with their stories and their pleas to "turn off the damn turbines!"

 In September 2011, Dr. Pierpont went to Falmouth and spent days interviewing victims. The interviews are riveting. If you read or listen to nothing else on this website, be sure you watch these. There are more Falmouth interviews on the way; keep your eye on this page.

Watch the videos here:

http://www.windturbinesyndrome.com/articles.html