Wind farms turn neighbours green ... with envy

theland.farmonline.com.au
24 Jan 2012

OPPOSITION to wind farms is based on "mass hysteria" and there is not a shred of evidence globally that wind turbines have adverse health impacts, according to Sydney University Professor of Public Health Simon Chapman.

Professor Chapman undertook a major review of international literature and said there was absolutely no evidence to support the concept of "wind turbine syndrome" that opponents say causes sleeplessness, headaches and high blood pressure. But he said people could worry themselves into being ill. "You can worry yourself sick, of course, that is a well-known phenomenon, you get worried and agitated and have palpitations but the idea the actual turbines cause it, there is no support in the literature at all".

He said research studies showed complaints tended to be from people who did not have turbines on their land and therefore did not derive any income from them. "The literature explicitly identifies the variable of envy. If your neighbour has wind turbines they are getting a minimum of $10,000 per turbine and you start to think it is unfair, you think about relative land values, maybe you don't like the look of them".

He said opposition to wind farms was "hysteria" and people in Europe, where wind farms had been well established for two decades, were perplexed and bemused by the idea wind turbines could have negative health impacts. "A lot of the reviews talk about infrasound which is sub-audible sound you can't hear, making you ill. We get a lot of every day infrasound-the sound of our heartbeat in our chest. It's everywhere. "You've got to take some of these claims with a grain of salt", he said.

Professor Chapman dismissed claims by NSW Landscape Guardians president Humphrey Price-Jones that reports existed that proved adverse impacts from turbines. "That is absolute nonsense", he said. The NSW Government has insisted it will take a "precautionary approach" to wind farm development despite NSW Health Department there is no evidence of adverse health impacts.

NSW Planning Minister Brad Hazzard, whose office has released draft guidelines on wind farms for public comment, said "the jury is still out on the health impacts from wind farms". "When it comes to people's health-I'll take a precautionary approach every time", Mr Hazzard said. "But in any case my view is consistent with NSW Health's comments to the Department of Planning and Infrastructure that strong wind farm planning guidelines can minimise impacts on human health.

"It also is consistent with the June 2011 Senate inquiry into the social and economic impacts of wind farms, which found there was a need for further studies into wind farm health impacts and that State noise standards should cover low frequency noise. "In addition, the National Health and Medical Research Council is also currently looking at this issue and proposing to issue a public statement later this year", Mr Hazzard said in a statement to The Land.