Health hazard = Set-back

A letter published in ‘Round the Revel’ in May 2013

WIND TURBINES = HEALTH HAZARDS = SET-BACK

With the new proposal to build industrial wind turbines near Churchover, I feel I should make you aware of some of the health effects these monsters will have on you, the local residents within 5kms.

1. The ‘audible’ noise – can you imagine a quiet helicopter trying to land but never does, for those nearby?
2. The ‘inaudible noise’ – low frequency noise or infrasound or amplitude modulation is the worst health problem

Infrasound health hazard

70% of the population is susceptible to infrasound; children’s concentration can be affected and schoolwork suffer and it is especially dangerous to children who are on the ASD spectrum or have epilepsy.

Everybody should be concerned when an increasing body of international evidence shows that wind turbine infrasound causes Vibro Acoustic Disease which carries the risk of sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, tinnitus, nausea, dizziness, headaches and migraines, diabetes, stroke, heart attack and ultimately even cancer.

Infrasound stops the deep sleep that is vital to recover from tiredness. You can’t just shut your window. Low frequency noise penetrates thick walls and effects like nausea can be worse inside the house than outside. Independent surveys in Australia show that 39% report sleep disturbance at 5km.

Are there any regulations?

The enormous wind industry are terrified the true health hazard of turbine infrasound will become common knowledge. They tell you they keep to the guidelines of ETSU-R-97, a measurement standard that is 15 years out of date and doesn’t measure infrasound. And they tell you that reported ill effects are psychosomatic. Yet, they strictly limit the time their workforces spend near turbines.

A paper ‘where ETSU is silent’ written on evidence collected in Northamptonshire last year, has been ignored. (read it and a report from Crick News at www.aswar.org.uk)

Peer reviewed papers by acoustical engineers, medical professors and doctors worldwide show evidence of the health effects large turbines can cause. There is nothing psychosomatic when there are reported effects on a baby.

Why hasn’t turbine infrasound stopped permissions?

It is expensive to measure infrasound, but in the face of mounting international evidence, The South Australian Environmental Protection Authority will measure it over the next two months from turbines near Waterloo.

In Massachusetts a furious debate is raging whether the community owned wind turbines should be dismantled at a cost of $14m because of health reasons.

Many UK politicians and the wind lobby are in denial but heading for a massive health scandal. With more and more complaints from residents near turbines, they will soon be too numerous to be bought off and have gagging orders imposed, as happened with the Davies family of Spalding after they successfully went to the High Court.

SO WHAT CAN be done to reduce the threat?

We all need to urge Rugby Council to impose a precautionary set-back of 2km minimum from homes. This will also reduce the risk of future litigation brought against the Council.

Even if you are in favour of intermittent wind power, like higher electricity bills and want to enrich land owners with subsidies, we shouldn’t just run rough-shot over peoples’ health.

If you want to know more detail, visit www.aswar.org.uk or Google ‘wind turbine syndrome’ or read the paperback "The wind farm scam" available from Amazon.

Angelika Smith, resident of Churchover.