Myths about Noise, Health, & Safety
Wind turbines are machines that spin in the wind and generate electricity atop tall towers. As such, the blades, transmission, and generator emit noise when the turbine is operating. Because modern wind turbines are relatively new on the landscape, a veritable cottage industry has arisen attributing a panoply of ills to wind turbines–even when they are not operating. Consequently, there are numerous studies on the health effects of the noise from wind turbines. This section includes links to these studies and to reports on the general environmental impacts and benefits of wind energy.
London (Ontario) Free Press: Existing wind energy developments supported
By
Norman Debono
Researchers found 69% of residents surveyed in an area home to one of Ontario’s first large turbine projects support them, but support dropped to 25% in a community that didn’t have turbines, said Jamie Baxter, a geography professor at Western University.
W.H.O. has seen the wind! Well, not really
By
Mike Barnard
One of the B-movie monsters of wind energy that hasn’t lurched out of the woodshed recently, the splitting maul still stuck in its thick skull, is the favoured meme that somehow the World Health Organization (WHO) has agreed that wind energy causes health issues and has issued proclamations against it, or favouring extraordinary setbacks.
Australian Senate to anti-vaccination group: Pack up and go home
By
The Senate today passed a motion by Greens Health Spokesperson, Dr Richard Di Natale, calling on the Australian Vaccination Network to disband and to cease its “harmful and unscientific scare campaign against vaccines”.
The Scientist: Worried Sick
By
Megan Scudellari
Expectations can make you ill. Fear can make you fragile. Understanding the nocebo effect may help prevent this painful phenomenon.
How should you assess the quality of a wind health study?
By
Mike Barnard
Assessing the quality of medical literature is challenging. Assessing the quality of wind energy and health related literature is easier, because the number of people publishing in the field is smaller, and their often very strong biases and very significant conflicts of interest are well known and easy to discover. The weaknesses of the base material of those concluding wind farms cause health problems is also easy to assess and confirm.
Conspiracy, Control and The Dark Corners of the Internet
By
Ketan Joshi
It is one of the most comprehensive collection of conspiracy theories I have seen in a while. The site itself offers a fascinating study of how conspiracy theorists operate – and, potentially, tells us a little bit about climate skepticism and wind farm health fears.
