Health Canada says they’ve found no direct health impact related to wind turbine noise. However, the 'annoyance' factor cannot be discounted.
A year-long study involving 1,200 families in Ontario and P.E.I. found no direct impact on health related to wind turbine noise but prolonged exposure to the wind turbines can annoy residents and can cause stress and associated health impacts.
Members of local anti-wind groups say they are disappointed in the study findings and say it’s not consistent with the stories they hear from people living near turbines.
Health Canada say while they did not find a direct health impact from turbine noise, the annoyance factor should not be dismissed.
Researchers say this is the most extensive and comprehensive wind turbine noise study to date in the world.
It involved questionnaires, sleep measurements, blood pressure measurements, hair sampling to test stress levels, as well as noise measurements from wind turbine sites including infrasound and low-frequency noise.
