Dr. Hazel Lynn, the Grey-Bruce medical officer of health, unveiled a new report Friday that suggests wind turbines can cause physical harm.
Lynn, working with research assistant Dr. Ian Arra, spent months reviewing 18 wind turbine studies from around the world.
“Basically, what we found was that all of the peer-reviewed [papers], which is the highest level of papers that we could review, all showed an association with distress people and wind turbines.,” Lynn says.
In fact they found that every single study showed some level of distress caused by wind turbines, some severe, some as simple as occasional headaches.
While it is not the result anti-wind power advocates would have liked, the results are in direct contrast to the conclusion of Ontario’s medical officer health, who has said wind turbines are safe.
And for the crowd, at the very least it was support for their belief that wind turbines are an unproven technology that could cause harm.
Lynn says “I work for Grey-Bruce and I live among all the people who are distressed here, which makes a difference. If you are just viewing this from a distance and you don’t know, it’s much more difficult.”
Supporters of wind energy suggest this report, like others, will help determine future turbine policy in Ontario, and stress that it isn’t direct evidence that wind turbines are making people sick.
The report will be shared with Ontario’s Ministry of Health.
