![3-MW wind turbine and house near Brinston, south of Ottawa. Ontario's guidelines were set with reference to WHO guidelines which are not adequate for wind turbine noise. [Photo: Ray Pilon, Ottawa]](http://www.windconcernsontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/BrinstonIWT-RayPilon.jpg)
The World Health Organization recently announced that it is revising its guidelines for environmental noise, for Europe, and this time will include consideration of the noise emissions from utility-scale or industrial-scale wind turbines.
Wind Concerns Ontario has provided a comment document to the WHO.
“We told them, the current guidelines for environmental noise have been adopted and used by other countries to apply to turbine noise,” said Wind Concerns Ontario president Jane Wilson. “The problem is, they don’t work. Our experience in Ontario is that they are not sufficient to protect health, and they need to be updated with the results of recent research.”
While Health Canada claims its 2014 study is the most “comprehensive” in the world, WCO says, the study was criticized from the outset for its design and was in fact never supposed to determine a cause-and-effect relationship between turbine noise and health problems. That said, Wilson explains, the Health Canada study does show an association between the noise emissions and reports of distress.
“There’s a lot of other research, like the Cape Bridgewater study in Australia, for the WHO committee to consider,” Wilson, a Registered Nurse and health writer/editor.
“For example, we now know that simply using dBA to measure turbine noise is only giving part of the picture. More needs to be done to protect health.”
The WHO guidelines for Europe are important because other world jurisdictions, like Ontario, rely on them for their own policy decisions.
The following points are based on the learning from the Ontario experience, says WCO:
- Application of the WHO Night Time Noise Standard to wind turbines is not appropriate.
- Limiting exposure to audible noise above 40 dBA is not sufficient to protect health
- Standards for low frequency noise and infrasound noise emissions from wind turbines, using appropriate measures, are required.
- The current models used to estimate noise emissions are not accurately predicting the actual noise emissions produced by wind turbines. Different and more complex models are required but these need to be validated with real life experience before they are certified for use in regulatory processes.
See the Wind Concerns Ontario comment document here. WHOStandardsCommentJuly12
contact@windconcernsontario.ca
8 Comments
notinduttondunwich
Moratorium……….like now…… please….
Pat Cusack
See
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Enlightning, Bernie
Barbara
Another issue that people need to become informed about.
Not so clean and green!
Sommer
It really is time to put an end to people being harmed by these turbines.
This should have been done already 10 years ago when the first people reported their adverse health impacts.
We need a criminal investigation.
T3..Tracy from Turbine Town
Yes, a criminal investigation, and the appropriate action taken. I demand justice. Where do I start? Norfolk OPP won’t touch this; as others-they are passing the buck.
There is no amount of money that equals compensation due to me for my loss of health and livelihood caused by exposure to infrasound emitted from the wind turbines around my home. Like a fool, I questioned and trusted our government would not permit a development as such that would put us in harms way.
It makes me even more sick to see our leader Justin Trudeau, the great humanitarian he claims to be (ya right..he is not focused on the rights and well being of Canadian born citizens as per our Constitution.) His concerns are elsewhere-like creating a bank of new Liberal voters for future election (since he has crapped on us) jet setting around..and wife Sophie with her designer wardrobe whining for help to raise her children because she has chosen to keep a busy agenda!! Oh sooooo Canadian… Hey Justin, you and side kick Kathleen need to resolve issues here at home in rural Ontario. If all you have in you is rolling up your sleeves once and riding around in a truck for a couple of hours delivering much needed water; that is not enough. That was nothing more than a publicity stint. It was a joke.
Worse yet…who kept the Liberals in power …duh… Who voted on the pretty boy looks of a drama teacher? Did he ever work for the Ministry of Education and if so, for how long? Just what were is credentials?
Yup..that’s who I want running my country.
Obviously we are lacking in values and are not too smart.
A word of advice Justin: spend time showing your Xavier what is currently going on right here in his own back yard, his homeland and stop brainwashing the minds of our future generation. TRUTH, HONESTY, INTEGRITY, COMPASSION is where it’s at.
Oh I’ve become a nasty old bitch. Would you expect anything less?
notinduttondunwich
True that Tracy ….. Mr treadeau should be out here in rural ontario seeing what mess his government has created….maybe bring the kids and sophie too!!!! Come down and listen to the people!!! See the division within the communities and how much anger there is out here!!!!
David Libby
The World Health Organization… for Europe,
T3..Tracy from Turbine Town
Where are all these low life criminals hanging out? Vacationing with the Godfather in the Kawarthas?