Letter From Catherine Mitchell to Jim Bradley, Doris Dumais, Vic Shroder, Sarah Raetson
Letter to Jim Bradley, Vic Schroder, Doris Dumais, Sarah Raetson from Catherine Mitchellregarding Research -McPherson Infrasound & LFN Study Adverse Health Effects Produced By Large IWT Confirmed
Content
Dear Mr Jim Bradley - Minister of the Environment, Vic Schroter, Doris Dumais, and Sarah Raetsen, Citizens of rural communities that are forced to host industrial wind tur ines have een assured for five or more years now that there are !no direct health effects caused y industrial wind tur ines"! #here is a $rowin$ %roliferation of inde%endent national and international research which does not su%%ort this conclusion" &or years now mem ers of the 'est (incoln community have een $iven the followin$ information in many letters from the M)E !#he role of the M)E, with res%ect to ener$y %ro%osals, is to ensure that %ro%onents com%ly with the Renewa le Ener$y *%%roval +RE*, re$ulation, )"Re$"-./01/, which has een %ut in %lace to %rotect the health of the %eo%le in )ntario and the environment" #he ministry2s review determines whether the %ro%onent has met the re3uirements of )"Re$"-./01/ and that the %ro4ect can e develo%ed and o%erated without causin$ adverse environmental effects" Let me assure you that the health of the people in Ontario is important to us. Our policies were developed using the best available science and we strive for continuous improvement. As such, Ontario has continued to review emerging scientific, acoustics and engineering studies, and policy developments around the world regarding potential environmental and health related impacts from wind turbines. Proponents of renewable energy projects are required to consider the noise impacts of proposed projects on existing and potential future noise receptors prior to the submission of an application for a !A to the ministry. "he setbac# distances outlined in O. eg.$%&'(& ensure that noise levels are limited to a 51-deci el noise limit at the nearest noise rece%tor, which is the same standard used in )ntario for all industrial o%erations for the last -1 years" 6n 7ee%in$ with 1" Re$"-./01/, if a %ro%onent meets all the re$ulatory re3uirements then a ..1 metre set ac7 is considered acce%ta le to %rotect human health and the environment"!
8lease add the inde%endent scientific wor7 of Dr" Ro ert ' Rand and Ste%hen *m rose to your emer$in$ scientific, acoustics and en$ineerin$ studies, and %olicy develo %ments around the world re$ardin$ %otential environmental and health related im%acts from wind tur ines" #he Bruce Mc8herson 6nfrasound and (ow &re3uency 9oise Study *dverse :ealth Effects 8roduced By (ar$e 6ndustrial 'ind #ur ines Confirmed Decem er ;5, <1;; Ste%hen E" *m rose, 69CE +Brd" Cert", Ro ert '" Rand, 69CE Mem er 8a$e = - 'ithin twenty minutes of ein$ inside their house, while settin$ u% our instruments, each of us started to lose our initial enthusiasm and actually started to feel less well" *s time went on, we $ot %ro$ressively worse" 'e each e>%erienced un%leasant sym%toms of motion sic7ness, includin$ ear %ressure, headache, nausea, dizziness, verti$o, es%ecially when movin$ a out" 'e had a sense that the room was movin$ or sli$htly dis%laced from where it a%%eared" 'e e>%erienced a loss of a%%etite, cloudy thin7in$, fati$ue, some an>iety and an ine>%lica le desire to $et outside? similar to motion sic7ness we have e>%erienced on a oat or %lane" 'e felt sli$htly etter when we did $o outside" *ccordin$ to the conflict hy%othesis +Brandt, <11-, motion sic7ness is the conse3uence of discordant +not in a$reement or harmony, in%uts to the rain information a out the %osition and motion of the ody from the vesti ular and the visual systems, and from other sensory sources @;A" )n the mornin$ of the second day we left the house to $o out for rea7fast" * out -1 minutes later and a few miles away we shared a li$ht conversation a out the ni$ht efore""" 'e tal7ed a out the difficulties we had stayin$ motivated and the challen$es we encountered %erformin$ our usual wor7" *s time went we started to feel etter, and then y the contrast in our state of mind, it hit us" 'e realized and understood the true e>tent of the de ilitatin$ sym%toms e>%ressed y nei$h ors? we had e>%erienced many of them the %revious evenin$" #he study confirms that lar$e industrial wind tur ines can %roduce real and adverse health im%acts and su$$ests that this is due to acoustic %ressure %ulsations, not related to the audi le fre3uency s%ectrum, y affectin$ the vesti ular system es%ecially at low am ient sound levels"
#he study results em%hasize the need for e%idemiolo$ical and la oratory research y medical health %rofessionals and acousticians concerned with %u lic health and well- ein$" #his study underscores the need for more effective and %recautionary set ac7 distances for industrial wind tur ines" 6t is es%ecially im%ortant to include a mar$in of safety sufficient to %revent inaudi le lowfre3uency wind tur ine noise from ein$ detected y the human vesti ular system"
C)9C(BS6)9
#he study confirms that lar$e industrial wind tur ines can %roduce real and adverse health im%acts and su$$ests that this is due to acoustic %ressure %ulsations, not related to the audi le fre3uency s%ectrum, y affectin$ the vesti ular system es%ecially at low am ient sound levels" #he study results em%hasize the need for e%idemiolo$ical and la oratory research y medical health %rofessionals and acousticians concerned with %u lic health and wellein$" #his study underscores the need for more effective and %recautionary set ac7 distances for industrial wind tur ines" 6t is es%ecially im%ortant to include a mar$in of safety sufficient to %revent inaudi le low-fre3uency wind tur ine noise from ein$ detected y the human vesti ular system" Res%ectfully su mitted Catherine Mitchell
8lease add the inde%endent scientific wor7 of Dr" Ro ert ' Rand and Ste%hen *m rose to your emer$in$ scientific, acoustics and en$ineerin$ studies, and %olicy develo %ments around the world re$ardin$ %otential environmental and health related im%acts from wind tur ines" #he Bruce Mc8herson 6nfrasound and (ow &re3uency 9oise Study *dverse :ealth Effects 8roduced By (ar$e 6ndustrial 'ind #ur ines Confirmed Decem er ;5, <1;; Ste%hen E" *m rose, 69CE +Brd" Cert", Ro ert '" Rand, 69CE Mem er 8a$e = - 'ithin twenty minutes of ein$ inside their house, while settin$ u% our instruments, each of us started to lose our initial enthusiasm and actually started to feel less well" *s time went on, we $ot %ro$ressively worse" 'e each e>%erienced un%leasant sym%toms of motion sic7ness, includin$ ear %ressure, headache, nausea, dizziness, verti$o, es%ecially when movin$ a out" 'e had a sense that the room was movin$ or sli$htly dis%laced from where it a%%eared" 'e e>%erienced a loss of a%%etite, cloudy thin7in$, fati$ue, some an>iety and an ine>%lica le desire to $et outside? similar to motion sic7ness we have e>%erienced on a oat or %lane" 'e felt sli$htly etter when we did $o outside" *ccordin$ to the conflict hy%othesis +Brandt, <11-, motion sic7ness is the conse3uence of discordant +not in a$reement or harmony, in%uts to the rain information a out the %osition and motion of the ody from the vesti ular and the visual systems, and from other sensory sources @;A" )n the mornin$ of the second day we left the house to $o out for rea7fast" * out -1 minutes later and a few miles away we shared a li$ht conversation a out the ni$ht efore""" 'e tal7ed a out the difficulties we had stayin$ motivated and the challen$es we encountered %erformin$ our usual wor7" *s time went we started to feel etter, and then y the contrast in our state of mind, it hit us" 'e realized and understood the true e>tent of the de ilitatin$ sym%toms e>%ressed y nei$h ors? we had e>%erienced many of them the %revious evenin$" #he study confirms that lar$e industrial wind tur ines can %roduce real and adverse health im%acts and su$$ests that this is due to acoustic %ressure %ulsations, not related to the audi le fre3uency s%ectrum, y affectin$ the vesti ular system es%ecially at low am ient sound levels"
#he study results em%hasize the need for e%idemiolo$ical and la oratory research y medical health %rofessionals and acousticians concerned with %u lic health and well- ein$" #his study underscores the need for more effective and %recautionary set ac7 distances for industrial wind tur ines" 6t is es%ecially im%ortant to include a mar$in of safety sufficient to %revent inaudi le lowfre3uency wind tur ine noise from ein$ detected y the human vesti ular system"
C)9C(BS6)9
#he study confirms that lar$e industrial wind tur ines can %roduce real and adverse health im%acts and su$$ests that this is due to acoustic %ressure %ulsations, not related to the audi le fre3uency s%ectrum, y affectin$ the vesti ular system es%ecially at low am ient sound levels" #he study results em%hasize the need for e%idemiolo$ical and la oratory research y medical health %rofessionals and acousticians concerned with %u lic health and wellein$" #his study underscores the need for more effective and %recautionary set ac7 distances for industrial wind tur ines" 6t is es%ecially im%ortant to include a mar$in of safety sufficient to %revent inaudi le low-fre3uency wind tur ine noise from ein$ detected y the human vesti ular system" Res%ectfully su mitted Catherine Mitchell
