Health Risks of Wind Chargers
Until recently, at least if you didn't live near one, wind chargers, also known as wind turbines, sounded like a great idea. The idea of clean, renewable energy from wind, at least on paper, earned an A+ for eco-consciousness. However, a multinational study by Dr. Nina Pierpont, a New York pediatrician, indicates that wind turbines could have a strong negative impact on those who live near them.
-
Lack of Sleep
-
The best-known health effect of wind chargers is sleep disturbance from noise. Sleep disturbance may sound minor unless you have lived with chronic insomnia, which triggers severe stress. Because "stress" is listed as a risk factor for many serious illnesses, this leaves people living near wind turbines vulnerable to health challenges. A 2007 British study by Dr. Amanda Harry verified the impact of noise on residents living as far as 2 kilometers from wind turbines.
Infra-Sound Effects
-
A New York pediatrician, Dr. Nina Pierpont, has studied people in the U.S., Canada and Europe living near wind turbines. She has identified an effect called wind turbine syndrome (WTS), which stems from a disruption of the inner ear by turbine infra-sound. People with WTS can have an array of symptoms Pierpont refers to as visceral vibratory vestibular disturbance, or VVVD. Among the symptoms she has identified are tachycardia, nervousness and quivering.
Effect on Children
-
Dr. Pierpont's research also found that children living near wind turbines may suffer nightmares and impaired cognitive development. Pierpont's summary of her findings emphasizes that not everyone living near wind turbines is susceptible to WTS. Dr. Christopher Hanning, founder of the British Sleep Society, says Pierpont's work "should be required reading" for planners considering wind farms.
-
