Wind Turbines Have No Direct Impact on Human Health, Health Canada Confirms

Noise from wind turbines has no direct effect on human health, a two-year study by Health Canada has found.

“Yes, concluded Health Canada, some people interviewed and assessed as part of its 1,238-household epidemiological study were shown to get highly annoyed by wind turbine noise and other factors, such as shadow flicker and flashing lights,” writes Corporate Knights’ Tyler Hamilton. But “while that annoyance has led to increased stress for some, that doesn’t equate to evidence of a health impact.”

Hamilton recalls that, when the study was announced in 2012, wind turbine opponents hailed it as a major victory. “That Health Canada decided to wade into this area also raised suspicion of its motives,” he notes. “After all, it hasn’t done the same for the oil sands, what most would safely consider a bigger health concern.”

The study did find stress symptoms related to wind turbine annoyance, but “the prevalence was not found to change in relation to (wind turbine noise) levels,” Health Canada reported. In other words, Hamilton writes, “go to a community without wind turbines and you’re likely to find the same level of complaints.”