Wind Turbine Health Complaints Off The Table in Falmouth

Falmouth’s Board of Health (BOH) isn’t buying health or sleep complaints related to wind turbines. On October 19, 2015, the BOH sent a letter to Falmouth’s selectmen and zoning board of appeals, demanding that wind turbine policy should be “supported by peer-reviewed scientific literature”. Attached to the BOH letter is a summary of a massive study conducted by Health Canada, a branch of the Canadian Government. The study involved medical testing and noise measurements in 1238 homes near wind farms.

Excerpts from the Health Canada summary (WTN is wind turbine noise)

“The following were not found to be associated with WTN exposure:

· self-reported sleep (e.g., general disturbance, use of sleep medication, diagnosed sleep disorders);

· self-reported illnesses (e.g., dizziness, tinnitus, prevalence of frequent migraines and headaches) and chronic health conditions (e.g., heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes); and

· self-reported perceived stress and quality of life.”

“Self-reports of having been diagnosed with a number of health conditions were not found to be associated with exposure to WTN levels. These conditions included, but were not limited to chronic pain, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, dizziness, migraines, ringing, buzzing or whistling sounds in the ear (i.e., tinnitus).”

“Self-reported stress, as measured by scores on the Perceived Stress Scale, was not found to be related to exposure to WTN levels.”

“Exposure to WTN was not found to be associated with any significant changes in reported quality of life..”

The Board of Health letter will be a game changer in Falmouth, where claims of health impacts have led to litigation and reduced turbine operating hours, at substantial cost to taxpayers. Falmouth’s town manager recently pegged the cost of removing the two turbines at twelve to fifteen million dollars, according to a 9/25/15 Falmouth Enterprise article.

The Health Canada results are not a surprise to the public health community, since several previous studies have reached similar conclusions. In May 2012, a professor of public health predicted this outcome in a letter to Falmouth’s health board.

One prominent complainant stated “People have to remember that this is all about the ill health” in a 9/29/15 Cape Cod Times article. Such claims will meet with new skepticism in Falmouth Town Hall and local courts.

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