Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Wind Turbines across Oregon Stir up Health Scare

I have some reservations about this article, but I will let it ride to see what you think. Apparently the doctor in this article has done some scientific studies that demonstrate/show/prove (?) health problems when living near wind turbines. Much ado about nothing? Or valid concern? I'll keep an eye on this one to see if the health concerns pan out.

2 comments:

David H said...

I don't know, 10 families isn't a very large sample size. There must be more to the research than 10 families to produce a book. She has a website, http://www.windturbinesyndrome.com/.

But it seems reasonable, doesn't it, to site wind farms 2 miles away from residential areas?

On the other hand, I wonder how wind turbine syndrome compares to living next to an airport. Or downstream from that coal slurry pond that broke loose in Kentucky in October 2000? To use an extreme example.

It's never easy, is it.

Justin A. Rickard said...

Yeah you're right. It never is easy. There's always something. I do agree wind turbines should be 2 miles away from residential areas, but part of me thinks that these people were just looking for an excuse to complain because they believe the wind turbines are "eyesores." Humans can't really be objective. In order to find objectivity in a scientific study I would look at the animals and the insects that were living around wind farms and see if they have changed their behavior or have left the area. They are more sensitive to their surroundings than humans are, n'est-ce-pas? And I would take a wind turbine in my backyard over a slurry spill, anytime.

Wishful Thinking

*Before adding PV, wind, or solar thermal to your residential or commercial structure, the first step is to analyze this structure's energy consumption through a professional energy audit. I'd like to see some public education on the importance of an energy audit for any structure. Remember Smokey the Bear's forest fire shtick drilled into our heads over the last few decades? How about something like, "Henry the House" desperately wanting to know how much energy he consumes and wastes throughout the day?

*With over 300 sunny days a year on the Front Range is it too much to ask for solar PV and thermal modules on every residential and commercial unit (after an energy audit of course)?


*How about affordable plug-in electric cars that go more than 100 miles on a charge with PV and wind powered recharging stations?

*Dreaming of companies large and small adopting business sustainability practices to maximize profits, reduce their carbon footprint, and enhance the lives of their employees and the communities that surround them.

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