47 replies to this topic

[irenen1]

Our town has recently turned on two wind turbines. Residents are immediately making claims to health issues. Is this the lemming effect or are these legit claims?

The proposed solar panel project is awaiting further study because of the potential chemicals and gases produced. Is there any truth to poisoning from PVs?

[dissn_it]

I have heard that there may be health concerns related to solar power. I had not heard of there being health issues associated to wind turbines, but after doing a little bit of looking online it sounds like it is due to the noise they make. Some people are loosing sleep and having problems like vertigo. It sounds like there are some studies that have been done and the results go in both directions. It is sort of a grey area as to whether or not they are ligitimate issues.

[FamilyTreeClimber]

I sometimes wonder about these health claims.  It seems whenever anything new is put into a community people suddenly feel it's making them sick.

There might be some logic to the sound causing a bit of nausea or vertigo.  I would think it more likely to get on your nerves than anything.

[Phil]

Where people get such absurd idea's in their head is beyond me.   There are ZERO health issues with solar panels.  There is no gas produced, the product is glass surrounded by a metal frame.  Guess what, your car windshield is, glass surrounded by a metal frame!

The amount of chemicals in you car is 1000x worse than anything in a solar panel.

If you have health concerns with solar panels, ban all cars in your town.  That "new car smell" is chemical outgassing.  Your tires wear out because they are leaving micro amounts of rubber on the road,  That rubber isn't even rubber but a chemical synthetic.  Your battery outgasses sulphur dioxide, (that's what causes the white gunk on the battery terminals), your cars exhaust contains all kinds of nasty stuff besides CO2 and CO.  The gas station outgases fumes when their tanks are filled and again when your tanks is filled.  There are also the inevitable spills.  Your car leaks drops of oil and grease, more often than not.

How many have wood stoves?  Again, far worse.  How many have propane?  Again, far worse.  Natural gas?  Again far worse.  Synthetic rugs and carpet?   Again far worse.  Plywood and OSB in cabinets and home construction?  Again, far worse.  Better ban all those as well.   

Indoor pollution is far worse in most instances than outdoor pollution, particularly with well insulated and sealed homes.  Solar panels are on your roof.  Guess what else is on your roof, sewer vents!  Even that pollutes the environment far worse than solar panels.

[Sandra Piddock]

Phil, on 27 May 2012 - 12:57 PM, said:

Where people get such absurd idea's in their head is beyond me.   There are ZERO health issues with solar panels.  There is no gas produced, the product is glass surrounded by a metal frame.  Guess what, your car windshield is, glass surrounded by a metal frame!

The amount of chemicals in you car is 1000x worse than anything in a solar panel.

I think people complain about these things because they don't like the look of them more than anything. However, it's not 'green' to say things like that, so they allege health issues and hope the projects won't go ahead. It doesn't take an almighty brain to see that these remarks are just plain nonsense.

[zararina]

I thought that solar energy sources and wind turbines are "natural" sources and no chemical emissions or anything like that.
Not sure if wind turbines can be too noisy that it could affect the hearing, well distance of it to the community could be a factor for it.

[artistry]

Thank you Phil, for such a broad sweep of information. I think that some people, who might have a resistance to change, are able to convince themselves that they are being affected by what it is, to which they have a preconceived resistance . Sub-conciously they do not like the change, so it must be making them ill. It really does not matter what the change is, it is foreign to their mind and thus is bad. Pity. For those who have a problem with the noise, there are ear plugs. Especially if it reduces the cost of their energy.

[Phil]

Most welcome!  Your home is far more dangerous to your health that most realize, I didn't even bring up radon.

[still learning]

irenen1, on 23 May 2012 - 06:39 AM, said:

any truth to poisoning from PVs?

Maybe if you ate one?  Or maybe not even then.
Probably shouldn't be smoked  though.

http://www.oregon.go...ncerns.pdf?ga=t

[dconklin]

I would say it's probably that people don't like the change and maybe it is anxiety.  Atlantic City has some wind turbines and you don't hear them over other things in the city.  You are not using any chemicals in a wind turbine, so I can't imagine it really making people sick.  You may hear them turning if your town is perfectly quiet.  If people already don't like change they will hear it louder and will be bothered by them as they will be thinking about them.  This could cause lack of sleep, but I would say they would have to be stressed about the change and unhappy with them for this to happen.  Just my personal opinion.  You get used to noise easily when it is something you hear all the time unless it is something that bothers you.

For example: I grew up in the middle of nowhere and perfectly quiet nights.  I now adapted well to living in a town with a train going passed our house and trucks going passed all hours of the night.  I got used to them quickly and lose no sleep over them.  

There are people who just don't like change and they let it make them sick from worrying about it.

[FamilyTreeClimber]

I saw a funny billboard on someone's Facebook page today.  It said  "When there's a huge solar energy spill, it's just called having a nice day".

It seems like any time anything new is created there will be a group of people who immediately think it makes them ill.  I agree that a fear of change and anxiety brings on more of the symptoms than the object itself.

It reminds of our new Smart Meters in California.  They were installed by the gas and electric company 3-4 years ago.  There are a handful of people who swear the meters (which are on the outside of the house on the actual gas/electric meters) is making them ill.  The symptoms vary from person to person.  While I have little faith in PG&E these days especially after the San Bruno accident, I doubt the meters are making people ill.  The water company is going to be installing similar meters soon.  I'm sure there will be even more complaints.

[Hayden]

FamilyTreeClimber, on 23 May 2012 - 09:46 AM, said:

I sometimes wonder about these health claims.  It seems whenever anything new is put into a community people suddenly feel it's making them sick.

There might be some logic to the sound causing a bit of nausea or vertigo.  I would think it more likely to get on your nerves than anything.

I just can't see how wind turbines would cause this. Will have to research a bit more. May their design is not a simple as it sounds?

[btatro]

Interesting. Wind turbines are also being introduced in my area, but we have not experienced any influx in medical issues targeting them as the cause.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Phil, on 27 May 2012 - 12:57 PM, said:

Where people get such absurd idea's in their head is beyond me.   
There are ZERO health issues with solar panels.
There is no gas produced, the product is glass surrounded by a metal frame.

This bears repeating.

[artistry]

dConklin, you are so right. I live very near a main street, where traffic comes by all the time. After a while it becomes what they call "white noise," where you don't even notice the sound. Still learning, thanks for a great laugh out loud moment. Funny..

[irenen1]

My friend drove me by a street near the turbines because a friend of her's that lives there can't deal with the moving shadows of the blades. I pointed out that there are many full grown trees in the area that do exactly what the blades do but there are only 6 blades.

The EPA has had Falmouth shut down their turbines for investigation following the successful suicide of a person claiming the turbines were the cause.

[dconklin]

irenen1, on 01 June 2012 - 08:05 AM, said:

My friend drove me by a street near the turbines because a friend of her's that lives there can't deal with the moving shadows of the blades. I pointed out that there are many full grown trees in the area that do exactly what the blades do but there are only 6 blades.

The EPA has had Falmouth shut down their turbines for investigation following the successful suicide of a person claiming the turbines were the cause.

Some people are scared of change, and this is a big change.  It is a great change and I wish people could see it, but I think it is just because it is a change.  

Suicide was probably a build up of many things and maybe the stress of change was the last straw.  I am not a Dr or suicide expert, so this is just my guess.  Our town would probably be open to the idea but have no talk of any turbines here.

Here is an interesting article about the turbines in Atlantic City.  They have become a tourist attraction along with the casinos, they also are not that loud.  At times the blades can actually reach a speed of up to 120 mph.
http://articles.phil...ect-wind-energy

[Phil]

I don't think I'd want to live near one but they do look pretty from a distance.  I like it dead quiet, where I live there is complete silence most of the time.  One of the pleasures of living in the country.

[irenen1]

As soon as these wind turbines were turned on, my Dave and I took a walk on the bike path to check them out for ourselves. I have excellent hearing. We went and stood directly under them.There is a very low pitch hum that 99% of the population won't hear. The blades slicing through the air are also heard. This sound was not disruptive.

The higher hum of the big electric box next to the turbine is louder but can't be heard from a distance of 40-50 feet. A window air conditioner is louder. A plane passing overhead is louder. A running car, the lawnmower, a leaf blower all are much louder. I personally feel it is just a new noice to get used to. Our consensus is that we would not mind one in our backyard.

[JBMedia]

I don't believe most of the claims because there is never any factual legitimate scientific evidence behind the claims supporting them. None the less, as mentioned above, I could see wind turbines causing people to lose sleep because of the noise they product, but that's why it's smart to strategically place them or think of where to place them before starting it out.