1/10/12 Health Department: Yeah, OK. There are health problems associated with wind turbines but we're not going to do anything about it
HEALTH DIVISION VALIDATES SOME CONCERNS ABOUT WIND FARM NOISE
By Tom Banse,
Via Oregon Public Broadcasting, news.opb.org
January 10, 2012
In a draft report, Oregon’s Public Health Division acknowledges that noise from wind turbine blades may cause health problems among nearby homeowners. But the agency does not intend to take action against the burgeoning wind power industry.
In a draft report, Oregon’s Public Health Division acknowledges that noise from wind turbine blades may cause health problems among nearby homeowners. But the agency does not intend to take action against the burgeoning wind power industry.
Complaints from sleep-deprived neighbors and uncertainty among government officials prompted the re-examination of wind energy. A team of investigators from the Oregon Public Health Division reviewed case studies and held field hearings near some major wind farms. Principal investigator Jae Douglas says while the evidence isn’t exactly “rock solid,” the team found reason to take complaints about health impacts from turbine noise seriously.
“There could be a problem. At certain levels, certain equipment could be producing levels (of noise) that are troubling and difficult for people,” says Douglas.
Douglas says the investigators also assessed whether “shadow flicker” from spinning blades is a problem. They conclude that’s unlikely to have an adverse impact. The Oregon wind energy assessment has been published in draft form for public comment through the end of March. Before the draft came out, a pro-wind industry group issued a statement portraying wind turbines as “benign” to human health.
Oregon Division of Public Health draft study:
The BPRC Research Nerd
in Noise, Wind farm, wind farm health effects, wind farm noise, wind farm sleep deprivation, wind turbine health effects
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