Literature Reviews on Wind Turbines and Health

Abstract

Industrial wind turbines (IWTs) are a new source of community noise to which relatively few people have yet been exposed. IWTs are being erected at a rapid pace in proximity to human habitation. Some people report experiencing adverse health effects as a result of living in the environs of IWTs. In order to address public concerns and assess the plausibility of reported adverse health effects, a number of literature reviews have been commissioned by various organizations. This article explores some of the recent literature reviews on IWTs and adverse health effects. It considers the completeness, accuracy, and objectivity of their contents and conclusions. While some of the literature reviews provide a balanced assessment and draw reasonable scientific conclusions, others should not be relied on to make informed decisions. The article concludes that human health research is required to develop authoritative guidelines for the siting of IWTs in order to protect the health and welfare of exposed individuals.

A case-control study of support/opposition to wind turbines: Perceptions of health risk, economic benefits, and community conflict

“…In October 2010 the Ontario Society for Wind Vigilance (OSWV) hosted the "First international symposium on the global wind industry and adverse health effects" (Society for Wind Vigilance, 2010) which led to the publication of two full special issues in the Bulletin of Science Technology and Society with several articles concerning wind turbine and health linkages (e.g., Krogh et al, 2011;McMurtry, 2011;Shain, 2011). Notwithstanding the literature above, groups like the OSWV have lamented the relative lack of broad based and rigorous scientific study on the links between turbines and health (Horner et al, 2011;Knopper and Ollson, 2011). Thus, two such large-scale studies have emerged, one as part of an Ontario Research Chair in Renewable Energy Technology (Day, 2012) and the other from Health Canada (Michaud, 2012).…”

Acceptance Issues in the Transition to Renewable Energy: How Law Supposedly can Manage Local Opposition

“…Health concerns are closely related to physical factors. Uncertainty about the health im-pacts of a renewable energy facility may be an important contributor to local opposition (Horner et al, 2011). Another frequent concern is the impact on the environment, including on wildlife, for example bats and birds, the ecosystem in general, and the impact on vegetation and groundwater connected with building access roads and hard-stand areas.…”

Beyond Rhetoric to Understanding Determinants of Wind Turbine Support and Conflict in Two Ontario, Canada Communities

“…The individual epidemiologic studies that do show health effects also tend to be cross-sectional (Nissenbaum et al, 2012;Pedersen and Persson Waye, 2009;; Shepherd et al, 2011) which, among other design issues, leaves sufficient room for heated debate whereby government agencies draw very different conclusions than concerned residents. Recent publications about Ontario push a broadly defined health agenda forward by outlining how health impacts could be studied and how they are connected to issues of social justice (Horner et al, 2011;Krogh, 2011;McMurtry, 2011;Shain, 2011).…”