We've expended a lot of pixels talking about the practical aspects of wind power. The climate scolds and "green" energy advocates are trying to sell us a bill of goods in the attempt to replace traditional electrical generation methods (coal, gas, oil, nuclear), which are reliable, constant, and high-density, with thousands of wind turbines, which are unreliable, intermittent, and low-density. This is moving backwards, but the scolds aren't concerned with that.
There are other problems with wind power, and we have covered those as well. Not least of those problems is the massive killing of birds, especially the big, soaring raptors, like the big hawks and eagles. And now, a couple of new studies indicate that there are human health concerns around wind turbines, and those problems arise from a source some may find unlikely: Infrasound.
An article published by German online TKP sums up a recent scientific review titled “Infrasound and Human Health: Mechanisms, Effects, and Applications” (published in the journal Applied Sciences by MDPI).
The biological and health risks associated with the infrasound (low-frequency sound below 20 Hz) produced by wind turbines can indeed be profound.
(Note: The linked study is published in German.)
So, what is infrasound? Infrasound is sound below 20 Hz, which humans cannot hear but which can have an effect on human (and other animal) health. The MDPI study lists several ways in which infrasound from windmills can affect people living near these things.
First, cellular stress:
Low frequency infrasound from wind turbines acts on the body even when it cannot be heard. It triggers a process called mechanotransduction, where cells convert mechanical pressure waves into biological signals. High-intensity or chronic exposure can cause oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and the accumulation of calcium within cells.
In extreme or prolonged cases, these stresses can lead to programmed cell death (apoptosis) in various tissues.
Second, cardiovascular health:
The TKP article highlights that the rhythmic, impulsive nature of wind turbine infrasound is particularly stressful for the heart. >Research suggests that high sound pressure levels of infrasound can lead to the thickening of heart tissue (fibrosis).
It may affect blood pressure and the integrity of the vascular system by disrupting the “pressure-sensitive” ion channels (like PIEZO1) in the walls of blood vessels.
And finally, neurological health.
The scientific review reported by TKP notes that the brain is highly sensitive to the vibrations of infrasound, which can be transmitted through the skull or the inner ear. Prolonged exposure is associated with reduced concentration, impaired memory, and difficulties with “higher-order” cognitive tasks (like logical reasoning).
It's belaboring the obvious to note that these can be serious, life-altering effects, just from living near one of these big, ugly monstrosities.
How can this happen? There are, after all, natural sources of infrasound, ranging from geological activity like volcanoes and earthquakes, to avalanches, landslides, ocean waves, and many more. Some animals, like elephants and whales, use infrasound to communicate over long distances. But the natural sources of infrasound, unlike the man-made ones resulting from wind turbines, are intermittent and irregular, even, as the study notes, harmonious. The infrasound emitted by wind turbines is constant, unrelenting, pulsating, and undetectable without special instruments.
And, we now know, it can have serious adverse effects on the health of people living near them.
Read More: Green Energy, Dirty Secrets in Wyoming
Fossil Fuels v. Green Energy, Part II - The Horrible Cost of Wind Power
Another study, this one from Canada, reveals more possible health effects, many of which may be related to the effects described in the German study:
Canadian family physicians can expect to see increasing numbers of rural patients reporting adverse effects from exposure to industrial wind turbines (IWTs). People who live or work in close proximity to IWTs have experienced symptoms that include decreased quality of life, annoyance, stress, sleep disturbance, headache, anxiety, depression, and cognitive dysfunction. Some have also felt anger, grief, or a sense of injustice. Suggested causes of symptoms include a combination of wind turbine noise, infrasound, dirty electricity, ground current, and shadow flicker. Family physicians should be aware that patients reporting adverse effects from IWTs might experience symptoms that are intense and pervasive and might feel further victimized by a lack of caregiver understanding.
One of the results of the German study is a finding that wind turbines should be located a minimum of 5-10 kilometers (that's 3 to 6 miles in freedom measurements) away from any human habitation. Cast your optics over any big wind power installation and think about how possible that is. These things cover vast areas, and it's not possible in most of the United States to maintain a distance like that.
Look, the climate scolds and green energy advocates are constantly shouting their love of science, of peer-reviewed studies. Well, right here, this is science. The scolds can engage in studies of their own; they can look at the data and try to find holes in the analysis, but the prospects of that seem dim. No, most of the scolds will keep up their shouting, and they will keep pushing for wind power, because as we have seen all too many times, it's not about the climate or the environment; it's about control.
But, for those of us in the real world, this is another nail in the coffin of "green" energy.
