Dr. Robert J. McCunney, MD,

Research Scientist, MIT

Consultant

Occupational Health at

Massachusetts General Hospital

Response Panel

Robert J. McCunney, MD, MPH Environmental Business Council

April 25, 2012

Wind Turbine Sound and Health Effects: An Expert Panel Review (released December, 2009) Sponsored by a grant from AWEA/CanWEA

Review of peer reviewed scientific literature

Over 100 references cited

7 experts from 4 countries

Medicine, acoustics and public health disciplines

represented

Sound Panel Members David Colby, MD

Chatham-Kent Medical Officer of Health, Canada

Robert Dobie, MD

Otolaryngologist, UC Davis Health System, USA

Geoff Leventhall

Consultant in Noise Vibration and Acoustics, UK

Dave Lipscomb, Ph.D.

President, Correct Service, UK

Robert J. McCunney, MD

Research Scientist, MIT Dept of Biological Engineering; Practicing Physician, specialist in occupational/environmental medicine, USA

Mike Seilo, Ph.D.

Professor of Audiology, Western Washington University, USA

Bo Søndergaard

Danish Electronics Light and Acoustics (DELTA), Denmark

Why peer review? Improves reliability of science

Time tested methodology for scientific publishing

Readily available data bases (i.e. PubMed)

Considered by IARC, NTP, OSHA, ACGIH etc etc

and governmental and non governmental

organizations for public policy such as classifying

carcinogens, establishing safe levels of exposure etc

Wind Turbine Sound and Health Effects Role of peer review vs. unpublished anecdotal

reports

Major peer reviewed studies published since AWEA

Report release in December 2009

Salt 2010: review article related to studies in guinea

pigs

Pedersen 2011: review and compilation of results

from 3 cross sectional studies of people in

Netherlands and Sweden

Pedersen 2011: Review of 3 earlier studies

Pedersen 2011: Review of 3 earlier studies Symptom 1 2 3

Annoyance

outdoors

1.24 (1.13-1.36) 1.14 (1.03-1.27) 1.18 (1.12-1.24)

Annoyance

indoors

1.38 (1.20-1.57) 1.42 (1.17-1.71) 1.20 (1.13-1.27)

Pedersen 2011: Review of 3 earlier studies Health Effect ? Effect from Noise

High blood pressure No significant increase

Cardiovascular diseases No significant increase

Tinnitus Increased in 1 of 3 studies

Headache No significant increase

Tiredness No significant increase

Stressed No significant increase

Irritable No significant increase

Pedersen 2011: Review of 3 earlier studies Health Effect ? Effect from self reported

annoyance outdoors

Sleep disturbance 3 of 3 studies

Tense 3 of 3 studies

Irritable 3 of 3 studies

Salt 2010 Review article about non deleterious effects of infra

sound on guinea pigs

No research conducted on humans

Dubious relevance to humans

World Health Organization Night time noise guidelines : 2009

An Lnight, (outside) of 40 dB * should be the target for night noise to protect the public, including the most vulnerable groups such as children, the chronically ill and the elderly. Lnight,outside value of 55 dB is recommended as an interim target for the countries where the NNG cannot be achieved in the short term for various reasons.

* annual average

Guidelines for siting wind turbines

WHO guidelines

represent a consensus view of international expert opinion on the lowest noise levels below which the occurrence rates of particular effects can be assumed to be negligible.

Exceedances of the WHO guideline values do not indicate significant noise impact;

The guidelines form a starting point for policy development. However, costs and benefits of reducing noise levels need to be addressed.

World Health Organization (2009)

Summary of wind turbine environmental studies A small percentage of people report being

very annoyed by the sound from wind turbines at levels < 40 dB

As noise levels increase, more people report being annoyed

The perception of "annoyance" from the sound of wind turbines is strongly related to attitudes toward wind turbines. The people who are most likely to be "annoyed" are those who do not like wind turbines

Annoyance is not a direct health effect

Is annoyance a health effect? “WHO defines health as a state of complete

physical, mental and social well-being and not

merely the absence of disease or infirmity, and

recognizes the enjoyment of the highest attainable

standard of health as one of the fundamental rights

of every human being.”*

* Source: WHO Nighttime noise guidelines, 2009

Infra sound • Sources of infrasound include: cars, road traffic,

aircraft, diesel engines, trains, shipping, factories, combustion, artillery, mining and quarrying, refrigerators, household appliances, fans, compressors, pumps, music, TVs, and air conditioning.

• Infrasound in the environment includes sea waves , air turbulence - even from earthquakes and storms, sometimes thousands of miles away.

LFN and health effects Health effects of living in the vicinity of wind

turbines and corresponding exposure to low frequency sound have been evaluated in the Netherlands (van den Berg, 2008).

No link between noise levels and risk of diabetes, hypertension, tinnitus and cardiovascular disease was noted. To the contrary, the illnesses assessed were more common at the lower sound levels than the higher sound levels which indicated no link between noise and the illnesses assessed

AWEA and MDPH Conclusions 1. Noise from wind turbines does not pose a risk of hearing loss or any other adverse health effect. 2. Some people may become annoyed from the sound from wind turbines but this is not a disease. 3. The major cause of concern from wind turbine noise is the fluctuating nature of it. Some may find this noise annoying, a reaction that depends primarily on personal characteristics as apposed to the intensity of the noise level. 4. Sub audible low frequency noise and infra sound from wind turbines do not present a risk to health. 5. Wind Turbine Syndrome is neither a new disease or accepted medical diagnosis. Symptoms reflect noise annoyance.

Discussion Impressions of the public review process in

approving wind turbines amid local opposition

For panel discussion