More protective regulation needed for wind turbines: NY health official

Stapleton to lead state health officials group 
Daniel Stapleton of Niagara County: managing risk is my job [Photo: Niagara Gazette]
September 17, 2019
Last week, Senator Robert Ortt of New York State, hosted a public health forum in Williamsville, NY. Many speakers attended including acoustician Robert Rand, audiology professor Jerry Punch, and others.
The Public Health Director for Niagara County, Daniel Stapleton, was one of the featured speakers. Starting out with the grave pronouncement, “I don’t call them wind ‘farms,’ I call them industrial wind turbines,” Stapleton said it is his job to manage risks to health in his jurisdiction.
He pointed out that sleep disturbance is an acknowledged and serious risk to health, and leads to various chronic diseases. He linked wind turbine noise emissions to sleep disturbance (which is not the same as sleep deprivation) and the development of chronic disease.
He said that he, and many fellow public health officials are so concerned about wind turbine noise emissions and the lack of appropriate regulation, that he, and 58 other officials will be issuing a statement on the need for stronger regulation governing wind turbines.
In Ontario, Canada, wind turbine noise regulations were drafted by the government under Premier Dalton McGuinty whose government took many actions to promote wind power development; the regulations, including property setbacks, were developed in consultation with the wind power industry.
They have not been updated.
Ontario received more than 4,500 reports of excessive noise from wind turbines, many with reports of adverse health effects, between 2006 and 2016.
Wind Concerns Ontario has requested the noise reports for 2017 and 2018 from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, but has notreceived any documents. The 2017 documents were the subject of an appeal after lack of response was deemed a refusal, but the request has still not been fulfilled, after more than a year.
Listen to the 12-minute Daniel Stapleton presentation here:  https://youtu.be/fWwLAxIaiYY
 

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2 Comments

  • Richard Mann
    Posted September 18, 2019 12:53 pm 0Likes

    Also, please see this presentation at University of Waterloo: Talk plus Q&A.
    https://livestream.com/itmsstudio/events/8781285

  • Sommer
    Posted September 20, 2019 2:33 pm 0Likes

    “He said that he, and many fellow public health officials are so concerned about wind turbine noise emissions and the lack of appropriate regulation, that he, and 58 other officials will be issuing a statement on the need for stronger regulation governing wind turbines.”
    Finally we hear good news and a call for immediate action from people whose job it is to protect their community’s health!
    How long will it take public health officials in Ontario to realize their legal liability for the cumulative and irreversible harm that turbines have caused (and are still causing as I type this message) the innocent men, women and children of rural Ontario who did not consent to being harmed by these industrial wind turbines that surround their homes. Expecting the people being harmed to use the legal system to get these turbines turned off is an ethically bankrupt solution. People being harmed have had enough of a financial burden because of the disruption and distress. No more delays! These turbines must be turned off. Forced relocation is absolutely unacceptable.

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