An excellent and detailed recent history of the research into wind turbine noise and other sources of infrasound and low frequency noise can be found in Rick James article published in the Bulletin of Science and Technology in 2012, entitled “Warning signs that went unheard”.
Another very useful summary of the knowledge available with respect to what was known about low frequency noise impacts on health ten years ago was a literature review by Professor Geoffrey Leventhall in 2003. Leventhall discusses the known connections between low frequency noise and physiological stress (e.g., in sleeping children), and acknowledges that if people are removed from the noise they will improve. In the conclusions he also acknowledges the additional stress and distress caused when people affected by noise are not understood by their health care providers.
Finally a brief literature review “Infrasound, a brief toxicological review” from the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in 2001 contains some useful animal and human research which clearly indicate there is animal research evidence of physiological stress effects and damage to tissue including heart muscle, with exposure to acute high ‘doses’ of infrasound.
But there is still much research to be done to get the facts and advance the debate. Concludes the Waubra Foundation:
What is less clear is the effect of chronic exposure to lower doses of infrasound, as there appears to be almost no research data in the public domain examining this issue in either animals or humans. However there is one study in the NIEHS infrasound literature review (#58 by Dadali et al on page 25) investigating chronic exposure of two groups of rats to infrasound at 100 dB of 8 Hz for 3 hours per day for 60 days. One group was given antioxidants, and their organ damage was less than those rats in the control group.
Regarding peer review studies, for example, consult “Literature Review 2013: Association between Wind Turbine Noise and Human Distress.” Also, Sherri Lange has document the problem in her posts:
Years ago I read about a study where sheep would not mate in areas near wind turbines.
There are at least 50 peer reviewed articles on this topic in the Minnesota Public Utilities Dockets. The Minnesota Department of Health was also clear in their 2009 White Paper on this topic: ILFN will harm some people. NASA drew the same conclusions in 1972. And on and on…. It is past time for the US government and state governments to stop pandering to the AWEA and step up to protect citizens. There is no conundrum here as science tells us that we can never install enough Wind and solar energy to mitigate for climate change. Even MN Senator Al Franken and MN Congressman Tim Walz have admitted as much. This is industrial-financial sector policy rammed down our throats. I am tired of my tax dollars being used to fund corporate bullying of my rural neighbors. It’s time to stop funding this scourge.
Thank you, Mr Bradley. Especially noteworthy are references to people who experience double pain; having Physicians who deny or ignore their reporting or attribute the harm to other features of physical life or “low coping skills”as one said.
To my eyes the mountain of evidence is sufficient to close out this industry which does absolutely nothing to create meaningful energy, and does much to harm literally everything.