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Ministry Reports

The Potential Health Impact of Wind Turbines

May 20, 2010

This report was prepared by the Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) of Ontario in response to public health concerns about wind turbines, particularly related to noise.

Assisted by a technical working group comprised of members from the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (OAHPP), the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) and several Medical Officers of Health in Ontario with the support of the Council of Ontario Medical Officers of Health (COMOH), this report presents a synopsis of existing scientific evidence on the potential health impact of noise generated by wind turbines.

The review concludes that while some people living near wind turbines report symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, and sleep disturbance, the scientific evidence available to date does not demonstrate a direct causal link between wind turbine noise and adverse health effects. The sound level from wind turbines at common residential setbacks is not sufficient to cause hearing impairment or other direct health effects, although some people may find it annoying.

The full report may be downloaded from the link below.

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The Potential Health Impact of Wind Turbines
14 pages | 60 kb | PDF format

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