Upset neighbor of a wind farm in Union County, Oregon.
credit:
Tom Banse
In a draft report, Oregon’s Public Health Division acknowledges that noise from wind turbine blades may cause health problems among nearby homeowners. But the agency does not intend to take action against the burgeoning wind power industry.
Complaints from sleep-deprived neighbors and uncertainty among government officials prompted the re-examination of wind energy. A team of investigators from the Oregon Public Health Division reviewed case studies and held field hearings near some major wind farms. Principal investigator Jae Douglas says while the evidence isn’t exactly “rock solid,” the team found reason to take complaints about health impacts from turbine noise seriously.
Jae Douglas: “There could be a problem. At certain levels, certain equipment could be producing levels (of noise) that are troubling and difficult for people.”
Douglas says the investigators also assessed whether “shadow flicker” from spinning blades is a problem. They conclude that’s unlikely to have an adverse impact. The Oregon wind energy assessment has been published in draft form for public comment through the end of March. Before the draft came out, a pro-wind industry group issued a statement portraying wind turbines as “benign” to human health.
(This was first reported for the Northwest News Network.)
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