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Where Eagles Don't Dare
Published in Frank R. Spellman, The Science of Wind Power, 2022
The problem that Pierpont and others report is commonly called wind turbine syndrome, which is the disruption or abnormal stimulation of the inner ear's vestibular system caused by turbine infrasound and low-frequency noise. Symptoms of wind turbine syndrome include: Sleep problemsHeadachesDizzinessExhaustion, anxiety, anger, irritability, and depressionProblems with concentration and learningTinnitus (ringing in the ears)
Hearing, Sound, Noise, and Vibration
Published in R. S. Bridger, Introduction to Human Factors and Ergonomics, 2017
Wind turbine syndrome (WTS) is the name given to a collection of symptoms including dizziness, disturbed sleep, and tinnitus associated with living close to industrial wind turbines. Wind turbines emit low frequency noise and infrasound at intensities around 45 dB. It is thought that the sound can cause cells in the cochlea to send signals to the brain, even though no sound can be heard. The sound may also affect the ololith organs in the inner ear (Pierpont, 2006). Nissenbaum et al. (2012) investigated self-reported sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, and general health in people living close to wind turbines. LAeqs of around 50 dB were measured at 150–250 m from wind turbines, dropping to around 35 DB at over 1 km. People living closer than 1.4 km from turbines reported worse sleep, more daytime sleepiness, and poorer general health than those living further away. These results held when attitudes to wind turbines were controlled for, suggesting that the current regulations for the location of wind turbines might need revision.
Effects of infrasound on health: looking for improvements in housing conditions
Published in International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 2022
David Baeza Moyano, Roberto Alonso González Lezcano
Crichton and Petrie [21] concluded that giving explanations of the nocebo responses followed by exposure to infrasound has the potential to reduce symptomatic experiences in people who report symptoms attributed to infrasound generated by wind turbines. The mystery surrounding infrasound led Tonin et al. [22] to collect information from various publications and conferences about the nocebo hypothesis around wind farms. They refer to the term ‘wind turbine syndrome’, coined by Pierpont in 2009, to describe this problem, which includes a multitude of symptoms associated with infrasound such as irritability, sleep disorders, headaches, tinnitus, vertigo, panic attacks and tachycardia. However, Crichton et al. [23] consider this symptomatology to be not very credible, since up to 244 symptoms and diseases in humans and animals have been attributed to wind turbines. Studies such as that by Schomer [24] indicate that an increase in the size of turbines causes the displacement of infrasound to even lower frequencies, which could be the explanation for the increase in complaints. However, Crichton et al. [23] listed many large wind farms in Australia where no complaints were lodged in both the pre-protest and post-protest periods by these organizations.