Place giant wind turbines at least 2 km from human settlements!

Source: Lena Ulrika Magnea | Europe, Health, Petitions, Setbacks

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Go to sign petition: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Place_giant_wind_turbines_at_least_2_km_from_human_settlements/

Recently, there has been a lot of activity in Europe around the planning and building of large, modern-type wind turbines. We see wind energy as an important contributor to green energy, and we are in favor of exploiting wind energy as well as other kinds of green energy sources for Europe’s energy demands. However, new academic research performed in the USA and in Denmark has shown that the noise from modern, giant wind turbines contains a larger fraction of low-frequency noise and infrasound than the noise from older, smaller wind turbines. These infrasonic vibrations, which are not audible, trigger symptoms related to vestibular dysregulation in the inner ear and lead to sleep disturbance, headache, tinnitus, ear pressure, dizziness, vertigo, nausea, visual blurring, tachycardia, irritability, problems with concentration and memory, and panic episodes. All these symptoms are summarized in the term Wind Turbine Syndrome (WTS). As research in the USA and New Zealand shows, WTS is mainly experienced by those who live within 2 km from giant wind turbines: http://www.windturbinesyndrome.com/wind-turbine-syndrome/what-is-wind-turbine-syndrome/

Because of these phenomena, which are not yet widely known, and for the sake of safeguarding European citizens’ health, we urge decision makers in the European Union to take immediate steps to stop the construction of giant wind turbines closer than 2 km from human settlements, and to make laws that explicitly forbid constructing giant wind turbines with an effect exceeding 2 MW nearer than 2 km from people’s houses and workplaces.

[NWW note: Although National Wind Watch supports any and all restrictions on the erection of giant wind turbines, and supports the acknowledgement of the unique health issues emerging from their operation, the endorsement of wind energy in this petition is unnecessary and not supported by experience. It is also regrettable that only turbines of 2 MW capacity and greater are cited, because ill health effects have been documented for much smaller machines as well.]