May 20, 2010
TORONTO - There is no proof that wind turbines are hazardous to your health, according to a report released Thursday by Ontario's top doctor. The report, titled "The Potential Health Impact of Wind Turbines," examined academic literature, government reports and studies in scientific journals on the green energy source dating back to the 1970s.The studies - which came from Canada, the UK, Ireland, Italy and the United States - found no evidence that wind turbines led to negative health effects. "According to the scientific evidence, there isn't any direct causal link between wind turbine noise and adverse health effects," said Dr. Arlene King, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer.
King notes in the report that research from 42 sources does not support claims by people near wind turbines who report dizziness, headaches and sleep deprivation. Furthermore, the study said, the noise coming from the turbines isn't loud enough to cause hearing impairment or any other health effect.
In the last few years, the Ontario government has supported wind-turbine use as a viable alternative to other energy sources in its effort to phase out Ontario's dependency on coal. "We do know that other technologies that enable us to have energy like coal fire plants, does have a known negative impact on human health, particularly on respiratory and cardiovascular disease," said King. The province currently has 690 wind turbines. Wind-turbine developments also figure in the energy plans of most provinces and territories in Canada.
Wind energy has been controversial from the offset, with much of the criticism coming from residents who complain of high noise levels, potential exposure to electromagnetic fields, shadow flicker that may cause seizures in epileptic patients, safety concerns about dislodged ice thrown from the blades and possible structural hazards if the turbine were to break down.
The report - which began in January - pointed out that guidelines set by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment ensure that these concerns pose little public risk because the turbines are installed a mandatory distance of at least 550 metres from a residence. Noise levels also do not exceed 40 decibels, which is the average sound level of a quiet office or a library.
Last month, a protest with 250 participants was held at the Ontario legislature to support a moratorium on industrial wind-energy projects. The motion put forth by Tory MPP John Yakabuski was aimed at trying to give municipalities the power to determine where such projects will be placed, and a delay in future projects until possible health effects could be fully investigated. It was later defeated in the Ontario legislature.
John Laforet, president of Wind Concerns Ontario, representing 43 citizen groups across the province, dismissed the report. "I think it's ridiculous," he said. "It's another rehashing of science everyone recognises as incomplete." Laforet said his group continues to call for a large-scale, long-term study done on wind energy before any more turbines are constructed in the province. But Robert Hornung, the president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association, said the "best available scientific research" shows no need for further study.
In fact, he said, Canada lags behind other developed countries, including the United States and those in Europe, in the number of wind-energy projects, which have been credited in those regions with improving economic growth, rural development and addressing environmental concerns.
Hornung's association estimates that wind turbines power up to a million homes and businesses across Canada, including a third of that figure in Ontario alone.
Yet more evidence exposing the vacuous claims made by wind energy opponents.
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