This definitely needs more study. I remember reading about problems
with farm animals who lived close to wind farms. Apparently cows gave
less milk and all the animals were very edgy acting. That was not from
a study but just from observation of the behavior. This needs to be
addressed before we go too far with this equipment.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*1. Wind Farms May Harm Your Health*
Living near a wind farm may blow a host of health problems in your
direction, including migraines, rapid heartbeat, and vertigo, according
to a five-year study.
The so-called wind turbine syndrome (WTS) may even affect children to
the point that it triggers nightmares and interferes with brain
development, New York Dr. Nina Pierpoint's study found.
"There is no doubt that my clinical research shows that the infrasonic
to ultrasonic noise and vibrations emitted by wind turbines cause the
symptoms which I am calling wind turbine syndrome," the pediatrician
said in an interview with the United Kingdoms's The Independent. "There
are about 12 different health problems associated with WTS. These range
from tachycardia, sleep disturbance, headaches, tinnitus, nausea, visual
blurring, and panic attacks with sensations of internal quivering to
more general irritability."
The turbines generate little noise, wind turbine manufacturers and wind
farm operators say, and sound level measurements in the audible range
generally show this to be true. However, some people who live close to
wind farms say easily heard sounds are not the problem.
For instance, Dennis Stillings, who bought a farmstead in North Dakota,
told Minnesota Public Radio that a wind farm was set up in a neighboring
field soon after he moved in. He was told the turbines would be no
louder than 55 decibels. "Which is about the same level as your
refrigerator running, or the same level as my conversation right now,"
Stillings said. What is bothersome, he said, is the pulsating,
low-frequency sound like a "giant dishwasher."
The low-frequency sounds are the ones Pierpoint zeroed in on as the
source of health problems. Her study, which involved 38 people, shows
that low-frequency sounds and vibrations affect humans through the bones
in their ears, in the same manner as fish and amphibians. This
sensitivity has been documented in new research by scientists at
Manchester University and New South Wales.
Pierpoint told The Independent, "It has been gospel among acousticians
for years that, if a person can't hear a sound, it's too weak for it to
be detected or registered by any other part of the body. But this is no
longer true. Humans can hear through the bones. This is amazing. It
would be heretical if it hadn't been shown in a well-conducted
experiment." Although Pierpoint recognizes that not everyone suffers
from these sounds, she says wind farms should be built no closer to
homes than 1.2 miles.
If there are plans to build a wind farm close to you, how can you tell
if you might be affected? Information on Pierpoint's Web site says that,
if you get seasick, or if you got carsick as a child, you are at high
risk of harm from wind farm noise and vibration. You are also at high
risk if you suffer from preexisting migraine disorder, which is found in
6 percent of males and 18 percent of females.
Not everyone agrees with Pierpoint's research, and some experts are
quick to note how small the study was. In England, which has 219 wind
farms and plans for 4,000 more turbines to be installed, a spokesman for
the British Wind Association said, "An independent study on wind farms
and noise in 2007 found only four complaints from around 2,000 turbines
in the country. Wind turbines are quite safe and sustainable. It is not
surprising that, according to a recent report, 94 percent of people who
live near wind turbines are in favor of them. There is no scientific
research to suggest that wind turbines are in any way harmful."
*Editor's Note:*
* *Your Home Isn't a Haven; It's Filled With Health Hazards
<http://news.newsmax.com/?SKCR.T57TktZNoLCKkjFVUHZz3rzxJUAS&http://w3.newsmax.com/blaylock/29a.cfm?s=al&promo_code=87AA-1>*
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