No major health impacts from turbines

20 /1/12

(AP) BOSTON — Wind turbines do not pose serious health risks to people living nearby, though noise from some turbines could be annoying and cause sleep disruption, a state-appointed panel of experts says in a report Tuesday.

The report was commissioned by Massachusetts public health and environmental agencies after residents who live near existing or proposed wind energy projects raised concerns.

"There is no evidence for a set of health effects ... that could be characterized as 'Wind Turbine Syndrome,'" the report concluded.

But the panel urged that more study be done on the sleep issue and also recommended that Massachusetts adopt noise limits for wind turbines similar to guidelines in place in Germany and Denmark.

Three public meetings are scheduled next month to hear comments about the report, in Boston, the Berkshires and on Cape Cod. Officials insist the findings will not be adopted or implemented until after the meetings.

In the report, the panel said it found no scientific evidence that low-frequency sound emitted by turbines affects the inner ear and balance, or the vestibular system. It also said the "weight of evidence" didn't point to any links between the turbines and diseases including diabetes, high blood pressure and migraine headaches.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57360929/mass-panel-no-major-health-impacts-from-turbines/