Introduction: Some people living in the environs of industrial wind turbines (IWTs)
report experiencing adverse health and socioeconomic effects. This review considers
the hypothesis that annoyance from audible IWTs is the cause of these adverse
health effects.
Methods: We searched PubMed and Google Scholar for articles published since
2000 that included the terms “wind turbine health,” “wind turbine infrasound,”
“wind turbine annoyance,” “noise annoyance” or “low frequency noise” in the title
or abstract.
Results: Industrial wind turbines produce sound that is perceived to be more annoying
than other sources of sound. Reported effects from exposure to IWTs are consistent
with well-known stress effects from persistent unwanted sound.
Conclusion: If placed too close to residents, IWTs can negatively affect the physical,
mental and social well-being of people. There is sufficient evidence to support the conclusion
that noise from audible IWTs is a potential cause of health effects. Inaudible
low-frequency noise and infrasound from IWTs cannot be ruled out as plausible
causes of health effects.