Wind Turbines and Proximity to Homes: The Impact of Wind Turbine Noise on Health

The authors, Barbara J Frey and Peter J Hadden,. provide a review, and discussion, of literature on Industrial Wind Turbines' impact in terms of noise, health, and rights.

This paper addresses not only the issues of wind energy policy where it violates the basic living environment of families and the adverse health effects of wind turbine noise, but also assesses the considerable number of anecdotal reports from people living with wind turbine noise. As noted in the authors' 2007 paper, although there are many who dismiss anecdotal reports as inconsequential or meaningless, these reports are from real people, living with real problems, often with no recourse: they put 'the human face on science'. 

The paper concentrates on UK information, but the conclusions are universally applicable, including:

Despite evidence-based research studies that demonstrate a relationship between the adverse impacts of environmental noise on health, some governments - including that of the UK - have instead opted to follow the advice of acoustic engineers from the wind energy industry.  This approach favours industrial development, constructing wind turbines in proximity to homes and other sensitive facilities, to the detriment of the pubic health. 

Wind Turbines and Proximity to Homes:  The Impact of Wind Turbine Noise on Health