{"id":27928,"date":"2013-10-24T20:53:48","date_gmt":"2013-10-25T00:53:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/static\/?p=27928"},"modified":"2013-10-25T12:02:50","modified_gmt":"2013-10-25T16:02:50","slug":"stop-wind-turbine-torture-now-editorial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/2013\/stop-wind-turbine-torture-now-editorial\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cStop wind turbine torture now!\u201d (Editorial)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"hand\"\ufffc<\/p>\n

.<\/span>
\n“Life-Saving Skeletons Dance from NASA Closets”<\/h3>\n

by<\/em> Helen Schwiesow Parker, Ph.D.
\nLicensed Clinical Psychologist
\nChilmark, MA<\/p>\n

Dismissing or denying the serious health impacts of industrial-scale wind turbines, wishful thinking akin to presuming tobacco harmless because we like it, has met its match in skeletons dancing from NASA closets.<\/p>\n

Graham Lloyd, Environmental Editor for The Australian<\/em>, on 7-8-13 published the first of recent reports revealing that \u201chealth impacts caused by low-frequency noise from wind turbines have been known to US researchers and the renewable energy industry for more than 25 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Windpower \u201987 Conference heard from Neil Kelley, principal scientist (atmospheric physics) at the NREL\u2019s Wind Technology Centre 1980-2011. \u00a0Kelley\u2019s research, following earlier NASA research and prepared for the US Dept. of Energy (DOE), found that under laboratory conditions people do indeed react to low-frequency noise; the disturbance from the turbines is often worse indoors than outside; and \u201cfar from becoming inured to the disturbance, people become increasingly sensitive to it over time<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

US acoustics expert, Rick James<\/a>, notes, “the ‘Kelly paper<\/a>‘ is just one of many studies published in the 1980’s by acousticians and other researchers working under grants from the DOE, NASA, and others. \u00a0The acoustical conferences, at least in the US, all had presentations on wind turbine noise; it was one of the \u2018hot’ topics in the field.”<\/p>\n

The industry response? Ignore or deny the science. \u00a0Indeed, its standard has been specifically to exclude measuring the lower frequency \u201cinfrasonic\u201d noise known to cause problems, to measure outside, not inside dwellings, to claim neighbors “will get used to it,” and to deny that the victims\u2019 suffering has any basis in reality, let alone science.<\/p>\n

The wind industry\u2019s campaign to silence well-known truths has been highly successful. \u00a0They\u2019re masters at minimization-speak. \u00a0Replace \u201csuffering\u201d with \u201cannoyance\u201d and \u201cstrobing\u201d with \u201cflicker\u201d and problems recede or vanish.<\/p>\n

For thousands around the world, turbine health impacts include headaches, pressure and ringing in the ears, increased blood pressure, anxiety, nausea, difficulty with memory and concentration, depression, and panic attacks arising when awake or asleep, along with sleep deprivation (unhealthy in itself).<\/p>\n

As with sea-sickness, not everyone is similarly affected. \u00a0Most vulnerable are the young, the old, and those especially sensitive to stimuli (the autistic, PTSD sufferers, many who have retreated to more rural areas).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s disturbing to hear trusted \u201cscientists” or physicians undermine legitimate physical and mental health suffering with perhaps well-intended \u201cskepticism.\u201d \u00a0Or breezy reassurances that, for instance, “shadow flicker is only present at less than 1400 meters from the turbine” (1400 meters = .86992 mile), or \u201cany issue pertaining to flicker is easily remedied,\u201d a position (at-best) poorly thought-out and in any case dead wrong.<\/p>\n

\ufffcWorst are the bold-faced lies, like the wind developer\u2019s brushing aside a question about \u201cflicker\u201d at a public forum, characterizing it as “occurring mostly before 7am.\u201d \u00a0Wait! \u00a0What!?<\/p>\n

“Shadow flicker results from rotating blades passing between the sun and the observer.\u201d \u00a0Blades of 40-story-high turbines spin between the sun and “observer\/victim” long after sunrise, and again, long before sunset. \u00a0And that\u2019s only part of the story. \u00a0Expansive \u201cflicker” ricochets when the blade\u2019s shadow strikes anywhere within viewshed—strobing rock-face across the valley or trees across the park.<\/p>\n

And \u201cindependent experts\u201d? \u00a0Beware! \u00a0Summarizing his 25-page critique of the infamous MA Dept. of Environ. Protection (DEP) Turbine Health Impact Study, Dr. Ray Hartman, Professor of Economics (degrees from Princeton\/MIT) cautions<\/a>: \u00a0\u201cThe Panel comes to some very strong conclusions which are simply contradicted by the research they cite as reliable. \u00a0They are certainly contradicted by the research they improperly dismiss.\u201d \u00a0He goes on:<\/p>\n

If the results of this Wind Turbine Health Impact Study were not given such widespread credence, these assertions would be comical, given the evidentiary record. \u00a0Unfortunately, public policy affecting peoples\u2019 lives is being determined based upon these conclusions.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Responsible stewardship demands critical thinking, common sense and grade-school science, not just following a Pied Piper with good intentions.<\/p>\n

Maine turbine neighbor Kaz Pease doesn\u2019t need an M.D. or Ph.D. to tell us: \u201cThe MA study needs to be trashed. \u00a0Shredded. \u00a0Thrown on the burn pile. \u00a0That common-sense people could take such a biased and poorly-researched report as authoritative is ludicrous.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said-She said? \u00a0No, common sense, and facts a-plenty. \u00a0From \u201cThe Cutting Edge\u201d in The Toronto Star<\/em>, June \u201805: “Military weaponry uses low-frequency sound to . . . control crowd behavior. \u00a0Low-frequency noise at high intensities creates discrepancies in the brain, producing disorientation in the body: \u00a0‘The knees buckle, the brain aches, the stomach turns. \u00a0And suddenly, nobody feels like protesting anymore. \u00a0The latest weapon in the Israeli army\u2019s high-tech tool kit. . . . It has no adverse effects, unless someone is exposed to the sound for hours and hours.\u2019”<\/p>\n

For humanity\u2019s sake, we must move out of denial and stop the turbine torture now.<\/p>\n

\"Helen<\/p>\n

Helen Parker, PhD<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\ufffc . “Life-Saving Skeletons Dance from NASA Closets” by Helen Schwiesow Parker, Ph.D. Licensed Clinical Psychologist Chilmark, MA Dismissing or denying the serious health impacts of industrial-scale wind turbines, wishful thinking akin to presuming tobacco harmless because we like it, has met its match in skeletons dancing from NASA closets. Graham Lloyd, Environmental Editor for The Australian, on 7-8-13 published the first of recent reports revealing that \u201chealth impacts caused by low-frequency noise from wind turbines have been known to US researchers and the renewable energy industry for more than 25 years.\u201d The Windpower \u201987 Conference heard from Neil Kelley, principal scientist (atmospheric physics) at the NREL\u2019s Wind Technology Centre 1980-2011. \u00a0Kelley\u2019s research, following earlier NASA research and prepared for the US Dept. of Energy (DOE), found that under laboratory conditions people do indeed react to low-frequency noise; the disturbance from the turbines is often worse indoors than outside; and \u201cfar from becoming inured to the disturbance, people become increasingly sensitive to it over time.\u201d US acoustics expert, Rick James, notes, “the ‘Kelly paper‘ is just one of many studies published in the 1980’s by acousticians and other researchers working under grants from the DOE, NASA, and others. \u00a0The acoustical conferences, at least in the US, all had presentations on wind turbine noise; it was one of the \u2018hot’ topics in the field.” The industry response? Ignore or deny the science. \u00a0Indeed, its standard has been specifically to exclude measuring the lower frequency \u201cinfrasonic\u201d noise known to cause problems, to measure outside, not inside dwellings, to claim neighbors “will get used to it,” and to deny that the victims\u2019 suffering has any basis in reality, let alone science. The wind industry\u2019s campaign to silence well-known truths has been highly successful. \u00a0They\u2019re masters at minimization-speak. \u00a0Replace \u201csuffering\u201d with \u201cannoyance\u201d and \u201cstrobing\u201dRead More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[157,163,16],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27928"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27928"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27928\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}