Turbine claims wrong
The Standard | May 7, 2013 | www.standard.net.au
We were disturbed to read the editorial piece in The Standard (April 27) entitled ‘Wind energy’s noisy divide’ regarding the Macarthur wind farm.
In particular the claim that “most people accepted the wind farm and welcomed it” offended us most.
Of course the people living in the township of Macarthur are hoping the wind farm will bring income to their town. These people are not impacted in any way by the turbines at the Macarthur wind farm as their homes are at least 12 kilometres from the closest turbines.
However, it is a very different story for the many families living up to 7km from the turbines who now find they are unable to sleep at night and find their health severely impacted day and night by the infrasound emitted by the turbines. Several families are forced to leave their properties for at least two nights each week to have a decent night’s sleep (as is their right according to the World Health Organisation). At the same time AGL denies any responsibility for the serious health effects caused by air pressure variation and ground-borne vibration from the turbines.
One family with young children has been forced to leave their home, their job and the district to remove themselves from the severe impact of the infrasound and low frequency noise.
Maybe if the residents of Macarthur were impacted similarly to so many families in the district around the Macarthur wind farm, they might think differently. Maybe if their young children were impacted so badly, similarly to the young family forced to leave the district, they might think differently.
Maybe if the residents of Macarthur found they were unable to sell their properties to retire (i.e. they lost their entire superannuation) they might think differently.
Perhaps if the residents of Macarthur found they could not live happily and healthily in their homes any more they would think differently.
The author’s claim of “credible research” into the health effects of wind farms is just plain wrong. The recent report to which no doubt this claim refers was written by Professor Simon Chapman of Sydney University, who does not have any qualifications whatsoever in medicine. Secondly, his report was not peer reviewed at all. This is a requirement for all medical studies for them to be “credible”.
Annie and Gus Gardner, Penshurst
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/07/turbine-claims-wrong/