Expert Panel Reports on Potential Health Impacts of Wind Turbines.

A panel of experts that includes two BU School of Public Health researchers is drawing international attention for its recent report on wind turbines, which found inconclusive evidence that the electricity-generating turbines pose a risk to the health of residents.

The panel of independent doctors and scientists that issued the report, commissioned by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, included Wendy Heiger-Bernays, associate professor of environmental health, and Kimberly Sullivan, research assistant professor of environmental health. The group concluded that there is no research showing that churning turbines, or the resulting flickering light and vibrations, produce dizziness, nausea, depression or anxiety – a set of symptoms that critics call “wind turbine syndrome.”

Photo by Stephen Gore PhotographyThe report did find “limited evidence” that the noise from wind turbines could result in sleep disruption and annoyance.

“This is a complex issue that the panel spent many months studying. We took our work very seriously,” said Heiger-Bernays, PhD. “By reviewing the available data and information, we believe that we have significantly added to the understanding of the potential for health effects from wind turbines.”

State officials formed the panel last spring to address questions about the potential health risks of wind power. In Massachusetts, the Patrick administration wants turbines to produce 2,000 megawatts of wind power – three-quarters of it from offshore sources – by 2020, up from nearly 45 megawatts available today.

The panel reviewed existing studies but did not do original research or investigate reports of health problems among residents living near any particular turbine installation. The group said the available scientific literature on the health effects of wind power remains limited.

Among the panel’s key findings:

• There is no evidence for a set of health effects from exposure to wind turbines that could be characterized as a “Wind Turbine Syndrome.”
•  Claims that infrasound from wind turbines directly impacts the vestibular system have not been demonstrated scientifically. Available evidence shows that the infrasound levels near wind turbines cannot impact the vestibular system.
• None of the limited epidemiological evidence reviewed suggests an association between noise from wind turbines and pain or stiffness, diabetes, high blood pressure, tinnitus, hearing impairment, cardiovascular disease, or headache/migraine.
• It is possible that noise from some turbines can cause sleep disruption. Whether annoyance from the turbines leads to sleep issues or stress has not been sufficiently quantified. While not based on research involving wind turbines, there is evidence that sleep disruption can adversely affect mood, cognitive functioning, and overall sense of health and well-being.

As the state and federal governments promote wind power, some opponents have raised questions about the health impact of placing large turbines in residential areas.Dr. Nina Pierpont, a pediatrician in New York State and author of a book called “Wind Turbine Syndrome,” has interviewed families throughout the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere who have complained about the adverse impact of living less than a mile from a large turbine. Health effects include vertigo and migraine disorders, she has reported.

The Massachusetts panel provided a set of “Best Practices” intended for use by policy makers who proceed with the siting of wind turbines. These recommendations are based on practices elsewhere in countries where public health is protected and turbines are successfully sited. The best practices are designed to reduce self-reported annoyance, sleep deprivation and any other potential health effects. They include:

• Consider noise levels used in other countries that limit adverse effects of noise
• Know the type of turbine and noise specs for the turbine being installed
• Use the calculation method available for ice throw distances
• Adhere to < 30 min/day, 30 hrs/year for shadow flicker
• Conduct an ongoing program of monitoring and evaluation of sound produced by turbines
• Conduct closer investigations of homes where A and C weighting noise measurements outside differ by 15 dB or more
• Directly involve neighbors in wind turbine development and economic planning, and continuing that public engagement.

The panel was composed of physicians and scientists with broad expertise in areas including acoustical noise/infrasound, public health, sleep disturbance, mechanical engineering, epidemiology and neuroscience. State Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach praised “the thoroughness of the report, made possible by the particular expertise of the panel members.”

In addition to Heiger-Bernays and Sullivan, the panel included Sheryl Grace, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at BU, and researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Massachusetts, the University of New England, and the Harvard School of Public Health.

Three public meetings on the report will be held in February as part of a 60-day comment period. The full report is available at:www.mass.gov/dep/energy/wind/panel.htm

Submitted by: Lisa Chedekel

chedekel@bu.edu