Falmouth Board of Health Wind Turbine Noise Complaints 2012

• "This figure represented 63 people as some respondents spoke for family members.

• 47 people reported health effects from the turbines. 41, or about 85% reported sleep disturbance, 25 reported stress, 21 reported mental health problems, 2 reported suicide attempt or ideation."

http://www.falmouthmass.us/meetfull.php?number=4784&depkey=health

Health Department Minutes for: 06-11-2012

BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING JUNE 11, 2012

-MINUTES AGENDA THIS MEETING WILL BE HELD IN THE CIVIL DEFENSE ROOM

JUNE 11, 2012 - DRAFT MINUTES:

Present: Gail Harkness, Jared Goldstone, George Heufelder, Stephen Rafferty, David Carignan

At 7:10 Gail Harkness called the meeting to order.

7:10 - General discussion, review of minutes of June 4, 2012: To be taken up at end of meeting.

7:10 - Discussion of content of the Board of Health correspondence that will accompany the testimony resulting from the wind turbine public hearing conducted May 24, 2012, when submitted to the Mass. Department of Public Health for further action. This is not intended to be a forum for accepting additional public testimony on wind turbines or receiving public comment on the discussion conducted this evening:

Gail Harkness offered a revised summary of the data:

• A total of 58 written responses were received. An explanation of the discrepancy from the initial summary is that a few of the written responses were discovered to be duplicates.

• One of the responses did not meet the criteria for submission; so the working total was determined to be 57.• This figure represented 63 people as some respondents spoke for family members.

• 47 people reported health effects from the turbines. 41, or about 85% reported sleep disturbance, 25 reported stress, 21 reported mental health problems, 2 reported suicide attempt or ideation.

• Not included are those with known health issues. A physician verified the attempted suicide.

• All the data are contained in a spread sheet.The Board of Health had the following comments:• Some respondents are on the cusp or just outside the ½ mile radius from the turbine.

• The MassDEP’s study results indicate that sleep disturbance is a problem for those living near turbines.• Falmouth’s turbines may be unique because of their configuration, geography, or unknown factors.A letter to the MassDEP drafted by George Heufelder was read and edited.

Some of the main points are listed below:

• The Board of Health has received 2 years of consistent and persistent complaints about the negative health effects of the wind turbines.

• The Board of Health requests that the MassDEP conduct a health assessment of this situation.

• The Board of Health understands that this is an atypical health assessment.

• Due to the increasing intensity of complaints, the Board of Health is considering emergency action. It requests guidance from the state on this matter.

• The letter, data and map will be sent to Suzanne Condon, associate commissioner of the MassDEP with a request for a meeting at the earliest possible time to be arranged through David Carignan

. Copies will be sent to John Waterbury, Julian Suso, David Vieira, Therese Murray, Timothy Madden and the Board of Selectmen

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http://www.falmouthmass.us/dep...

• Falmouth Health Department

• Wind Turbine Complaint/Comment Form

• This complaint/comment form is a survey instrument intended to categorize complaints from the public and is not a formal research tool.

• Name (required) *
• Address (required) *
• Telephone number -Area Code Phone Number
• Location of incident / observation, if different
• You must fill in both date and time.
• Date and time of incident/observation (required) * -Month -Day Year at
• Duration of event Hours Minutes
  

• Problem Sound -- whooshing Sound -- thumping Sound -- jet engine Light flicker Pressure change Visual Other (describe below)
• description of other45 character limit
• Describe intensity of observed effects on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being no change to 5 being voices must be raised in normal conversation to 10; unable to perform normal activities at the location
• Intensity 12345678910 No change Unable to perform normal activities
• Location effects observed -- Inside a dwelling North interior Basement South interior 1st Floor East interior 2nd Floor West interior 3rd Floor Windows Open All interior locations Windows Closed
• Outdoors-Location on the property North quadrant South quadrant East quadrant West quadrant
• Describe the impact of the observed effect on you: sleep disturbance ability to concentrate affected anxiety loss of appetite headaches
• Perceived source(s) (required) * Wind 1 Wind 2 Webb/Notus Woods Hole Research Associates - Woods Hole Road Other
• Additional comments (160 character limit)0/160
• Submit Form