There is little to no evidence that wind turbines pose a risk to the health of residents living near them, a panel of independent scientists and doctors found in a report commissioned by the state Department ofEnvironmental Protection.
The panel concluded that there is no rigorous research showing that churning turbines or the resulting flickering light and vibrations produce dizziness, nausea, depression, or anxiety - a set of symptoms that critics call ``wind turbine syndrome.''
But the 164-page report released yesterday found ``limited evidence'' that the noise from wind turbines can result in sleep disruption and annoyance.
``It is extremely important that we have the best science available to us as we make decisions on wind energy,'' Kenneth Kimmell, state environmental protection commissioner, said in an interview.
But critics argued that the report failed to address complaints by those living close to turbines.
State officials said they formed the panel last spring to address questions about the potential health risks of wind power. The Patrick administration wants turbines to produce 2,000 megawatts of wind power - three-quarters of it from offshore sources - by 2020, up from nearly 45 megawatts available today.
The panel did not do original research, nor did it investigate reports of health problems among residents living near any particular turbine installation. Instead it reviewed existing studies.
It said the available scientific literature on the health effects of wind power remain limited, and that the studies that have been done had shortcomings, including that people self-reported their symptoms and that researchers were unable to control adequately for other possible factors that could have affected the health of people living near turbines.
``The study that accounted most extensively for other factors that could affect reported symptoms had a very low response rate,'' the report said.
As the state and federal governments promote wind power, opponents have raised questions about the health impact of placing large turbines in residential areas.
Dr. Nina Pierpont, a pediatrician in Malone, N.Y., and author of a book called ``Wind Turbine Syndrome,'' said she has interviewed families throughout the United States, Canada, and elsewhere that have complained about the adverse impact of living less than a mile from a large turbine.
Pierpont, who became interested in the effects of turbines after a wind farm was planned near her home, said her research found evidence that certain people are more likely to be affected by the whirring of turbines than others. She noted that in the same families, some members exhibited symptoms ranging from vertigo to an excruciating buzzing in their ears while others were fine.
She said she found that those who were 50 years or older and had migraine disorders, motion sensitivity, and inner-ear damage were more likely to experience ``wind turbine syndrome.''
``This is serious stuff; it's not annoyance,'' she said, arguing that wind farms should be built far from residential areas. ``There are real symptoms that are so debilitating to people that some have abandoned their homes, regular working people who cannot afford to do that.''
Among those Pierpont interviewed was John Ford, 64, a retired salesman who said he lives about a half-mile from three wind turbines in Falmouth.
In a telephone interview, Ford said he has had trouble sleeping ever since the turbines became active in 2010. He said he has installed special windows to try to dampen the ``low-frequency thumping sound,'' but is still awakened nearly every night. He said he has also experienced earaches, headaches, anxiety, and high blood pressure, which he attributes to the proximity of the turbines.
``I used to sleep like a baby, and now it's terrible,'' he said. ``I wish I could afford to move, but who would want to live under these conditions?''
In the report, the authors said limited evidence showed that a ``very loud wind turbine could cause disrupted sleep, particularly in vulnerable populations, at a certain distance, while a very quiet wind turbine would not likely disrupt even the lightest of sleepers at that same distance.''
They added: ``But there is not enough evidence to provide particular sound-pressure thresholds at which wind turbines cause sleep disruption.''
The scientists found no evidence that ``shadow flicker'' - the shadows cast as a turbine operates in sunlight - poses a risk for eliciting seizures.
Proponents of wind energy said the report should make it easier for wind projects to get the go-ahead in Massachusetts.
``The report shows that some of the most common arguments about wind turbine health impacts are not supported by the science, and it should serve as a helpful tool to inform sitting decisions by public officials,'' Sue Reid, director of the Boston-based Conservation Law Foundation, said in a statement. ``The report should be considered together with the overwhelming evidence of the known health benefits of wind energy, including benefits associated with avoided greenhouse gases and other harmful pollution that is commonly caused by traditional power plants.''
Opponents of some high-profile wind projects said the report shows the need for more studies on the health effects of turbines.
The state plans to host three meetings for the public to comment on the report next month in Boston, Bourne, and Lee. The Environmental Protection Agency will accept public comments until March 19.
David Abel can be reached at dabel@globe.com Follow him on Twitter @davabel.
State moves to shut turbine over noise levels;
Step may boost wind-power foes
By David Abel | Globe Staff | May 16, 2012
Step may boost wind-power foes
By David Abel | Globe Staff | May 16, 2012
For the first time since the state began promoting wind power, environmental officials have recommended shutting down a wind turbine because of elevated noise levels that they described as unacceptable to local residents.
The state Department of Environmental Protection, in a long-awaited response to Falmouth residents' complaints about noise from two turbines, released a report Tuesday finding that one turbine less than 1,500 feet from the nearest home repeatedly exceeded allowable noise levels.
The findings give ammunition to increasingly vocal opponents of wind power, who have sought to slow the Patrick administration's efforts to produce 2,000 megawatts of wind power - three-quarters of it from offshore sources - by 2020, up from about 45 megawatts available today. The Falmouth turbines produce a total of 3 megawatts of power.
"Obviously, we take these findings extremely seriously," said Kenneth Kimmell, the state environmental protection commissioner. "But I don't think we should jump to conclusions that the experience here can be generalized to other locations."
He said numerous other turbines operate in similar proximity to residential areas, such as those in Fairhaven, Hull, and Kingston. Residents in those areas have also fought vigorously to shut down turbines in their communities.
"I think [this report] demonstrates that Massachusetts DEP calls balls and strikes in an impartial way and holds wind turbines to the same standards as we apply to other industries," Kimmell said. "But there are other turbines operating in residential areas, which have not led to similar complaints. So these results do not implicate turbines everywhere."
The agency recommended that the Falmouth turbine that regularly increased noise by more than 10 decibels at the closest home be turned off immediately, for at least 30 days, while the state conducts further studies. The other turbine will be switched off at night but be allowed to remain in operation during the day, pending the additional studies.
Town officials said they have been working closely with state officials over recent months to assess the complaints. They said they decided to stop the turbines from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. several weeks ago, and that they have agreed to shut down one of the turbines until state officials complete their testing.
"My first reaction to this report is it's about time," said Eleanor Tillinghast, a steering committee member of Windwise ~ Massachusetts, which has opposed wind projects around the state. "People have been complaining about severe health effects almost as soon as the first turbine began operating. The effects have been severe and chronic. . . . This is happening all over the world."
The DEP findings come several months after a panel of independent scientists and doctors convened by the agency found little to no evidence that wind turbines pose a risk to the health of residents living near them.
That panel concluded that there is no rigorous research showing that churning turbines or the resulting flickering light and vibrations produce dizziness, nausea, depression, or anxiety - a set of symptoms that critics of wind power call "wind turbine syndrome."
The panel found limited evidence that a "very loud wind turbine could cause disrupted sleep, particularly in vulnerable populations, at a certain distance, while a very quiet wind turbine would not likely disrupt even the lightest of sleepers at that same distance."
"But there is not enough evidence to provide particular sound-pressure thresholds at which wind turbines cause sleep disruption," it added.
The wind power critics cite a host of anecdotal evidence of dangers to residents living less than a mile from large turbines, such as those in Falmouth, where the first one was erected three years ago at a local waste treatment facility. They say the whirring of turbines can result in symptoms such as migraines, vertigo, motion sensitivity, and inner-ear damage, particularly in abutters who are 50 years old or older.
In Falmouth, where the wind project cost local residents $5 million and state and federal taxpayers another $10 million, neighbors said they were relieved by the results of the report.
Annie Cool, 53, a real estate broker who lives about 1,600 feet from the turbines, said she has trouble sleeping at night because the whirring sounds like "a boot in a dryer."
"This report is a long time in coming," she said. "The town of Falmouth made a quick decision to place those turbines in a residential area, and when they realized it may have not been the best decision, rather than doing the right thing and moving the turbines, they went into a long, exhausted financial exercise to prove that the neighbors were crazy."
She added: "Do I feel a little vindicated by the report? Yes, because it shows we're not crazy. But do I trust that the town and the state will do the right thing? Not on your life."
Todd Drummey, 48, a financial planner who lives 3,000 feet from the closest turbine in Falmouth, compared the noise of the turbines to jets and pile drivers, depending on the weather. He said shutting them down, at least temporarily, was a good first step. "But what I would really love to see is that they're moved," he said, adding he also has trouble sleeping at night.
The turbine being shut down will be turned on occasionally for testing, officials said. The other turbine will continue to operate during the day.
"I absolutely think this makes sense," said Mary Pat Flynn, chairwoman of the Falmouth Board of Selectmen.
She said town officials could move the turbines, provide financial compensation to abutters, or consider ways to blunt the sound. "We have options besides shutting them down," she said.
Kimmell noted that the Falmouth turbines are of an older generation than other turbines being installed around the state. He said their age, as well as their location, may make them louder than other turbines.
In a statement, state Senate President Therese Murray, a Plymouth Democrat, said she hopes the agency's report brings residents relief, noting that the turbines have divided the community.
"As I've said in the past, I believe that industrial-size wind turbines do not belong in residential neighborhoods, but we should not remove wind energy from the renewable energy mix in Massachusetts," she said. "Wind energy has the potential to provide our cities and towns with many environmental and cost-saving benefits. But we need to site these projects responsibly."
David Abel can be reached at dabel@globe.com
Wind turbine noise is targeted;
State may require reviews of impact before construction
By David Abel | Globe Staff | May 21, 2012
Days after state environmental officials found unacceptable noise levels from wind turbines in Falmouth, they are considering new regulations that would require the state to review potential noise issues before wind turbines are built in Massachusetts.
State may require reviews of impact before construction
By David Abel | Globe Staff | May 21, 2012
Days after state environmental officials found unacceptable noise levels from wind turbines in Falmouth, they are considering new regulations that would require the state to review potential noise issues before wind turbines are built in Massachusetts.
The state might also conduct sound studies in other communities, such as Fairhaven and Kingston, where residents, as in Falmouth, have complained about newly installed turbines, officials said.
A panel of independent scientists and doctors, convened by the state to look at the effects of wind turbines on the health of nearby residents, urged the state several months ago to require future wind projects to be reviewed for noise levels before they are built and to develop a program to monitor the sound after they begin operating.
"In light of those recommendations and the results of recent sound measurements we took in Falmouth, we are giving serious consideration to implementing additional procedures to limit noise impacts," said Kenneth Kimmell, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection.
Kimmell said new regulations might require manufacturers to provide the operators of future turbines with the expected sound levels they would generate. The state would then use computer models to predict the noise at various distances, based on wind speeds, weather, terrain, and other factors.
Kimmell called such modeling "standard practice" for other types of large noise generators, such as power plants that use fossil fuels. He said that the state has mainly left such testing to local permitting boards, only getting involved when there was an issue raised about the effects of construction on wetlands, landfills, or other protected areas.
In Falmouth, the state found that a turbine that increased noise levels by 10 decibels or more at a home less than 1,500 feet away was unacceptable. As a result, for the first time since state officials began promoting wind power as a way to reduce harmful greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, they urged the shutdown of a turbine until they complete further testing.
The Falmouth findings have given ammunition to increasingly vocal opponents of wind power, who have sought to slow the Patrick administration's efforts to produce 2,000 megawatts of wind energy - three-quarters of it from offshore sources - by 2020, up from about 59 megawatts available today. The state's goal is to build enough wind turbines to power about 800,000 homes.
Officials last week said that all but one of the 54 wind turbines of 100 kilowatts or larger that are operating in Massachusetts are within a mile of homes. Of those, 17 turbines, including the two in Falmouth, use an older generation of technology that makes them louder.
"I think it's a great idea that all wind turbines are tested before they're built or permitted," said Eleanor Tillinghast, a steering committee member of Windwise Massachusetts, which has opposed wind projects around the state. "The problem is that the state's testing doesn't capture the infrasound, what you can't hear, which is what's affecting the body."
Tillinghast and other wind power critics say churning turbines and resulting flickering light and vibrations from infrasound - low-frequency sound waves below the range of human hearing - can produce dizziness, nausea, depression, or anxiety, a set of symptoms they call "wind turbine syndrome."
The panel convened by the Department of Environmental Protection found there is no rigorous research to back up the claims of those who say they are experiencing wind turbine syndrome or that low-frequency sounds can cause detrimental health problems. But the panel found limited evidence that a "very loud wind turbine could cause disrupted sleep, particularly in vulnerable populations, at a certain distance."
Kimmell said his staff is sifting through the panel's recommendations and copious public comments, a process he said would take months, if not longer, before the state establishes testing and modeling guidelines.
"We're evaluating all the evidence on infrasound, and whatever our evaluation leads us to, we'll do," he said. "We're actively looking at this, and we have a huge amount of information to sort through."
With many wind projects stalled by lawsuits or permit appeals, administration officials have pushed for legislation that would provide for a new regulatory scheme for wind turbines, shifting some permitting powers from local to state agencies and streamlining the state's appeals process. But the so-called wind-siting legislation has been stalled in the Legislature for several years, as local officials worry about the state usurping their authority.
"Had the bill been enacted, the state would have been charged with establishing statewide standards to protect public health, and there would have been greater state oversight of the individual siting decisions," Kimmell said.
Geoffrey Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, which has opposed the wind-siting legislation, has no problem with the state ensuring that future turbines are not increasing noise pollution to intolerable levels.
But he said he worries about state rules that might hem in communities.
"Municipalities would be very cautious about any attempt on the part of the state that could override local decision-making," he said.
In Fairhaven, where two 1.5-megawatt turbines began operating this month, neighbors who have long criticized the project said they have already found it hard to sleep at night.
John Methia, who lives about 2,000 feet from the turbines, said he no longer sleeps with his windows open. "The sound is pretty much unbearable," he said.
But he said he was happy to learn the state is considering conducting sound tests in Fairhaven, where he and neighbors have been trying to raise money for similar tests.
"The siting of these things in residential neighborhoods is absolutely ridiculous," he said. "I found it reassuring what the state did in Falmouth; I hope they'll do the same kind of testing here."
David Abel can be reached at dabel@globe.com Follow him on Twitter @davabel.
