November 30, 2014
Letters, Wisconsin

Wind turbine effects are not just imagined

Fond du Lac Reporter | November 28, 2014 | www.fdlreporter.com

In a Nov. 16 Opinion letter the author chalks up all reported health issues from industrial wind turbines to the “nocebo effect” which claims that individuals who are led to expect physical symptoms actually experience those symptoms whether or not the supposed cause of the symptoms is actually present.

That claim needs examination. Is this pet theory of the wind industry the true explanation or a smokescreen to explain away the increasing din of health complaints worldwide? Consider this: Would people voluntarily signing for turbines on their own property in exchange for large sums of money be candidates for the nocebo effect? Would they sign such contracts if they had been led to believe they would become ill or unable to sleep? No!

Yet, according to the Valley Morning Star in Texas, 23 wind turbine hosts there are suing their own wind developers, Duke Energy and E.ON Climate Renewables claiming:

•The companies “carelessly and negligently failed to adequately disclose the true nature and effects that the wind turbines would have on the community, including the plaintiffs’ homes.”

•The wind turbines create “acoustic pressure pulsations that affect peoples’ health.”

•Some residents were “even forced to abandon their homes.”

•Loya “can no longer enjoy sitting outside because of the loud noise” and “The turbines also cause noise both inside and outside the home, disturbing the peace and making it difficult to enjoy living there.”

•Silva “has difficulty sleeping, cannot have his windows open (and) cannot enjoy the sound of nature, due to loud noise from wind turbines.”

Sounds like they were led to expect the best, yet experienced the opposite. So much for the nocebo smokescreen.

Learn the facts about the nocebo smokescreen at www.wind-watch.org/documents/tag/nocebo.

Elizabeth Ebertz

Moutn Calvary

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/11/30/wind-turbine-effects-are-not-just-imagined/