Harmful Noise Pollution
A scientific field study by an Australian university has found that harmful low-frequency noise levels from a windfarm can be measured up to 9km away from the turbines:
The audible spectrum—or audio frequency range—is the range of sound frequencies that the average human ear can detect. This spectrum spans from 20Hz to 20,000Hz (20kHz). Low-frequency noise, that below 20Hz, is called infrasound. Large wind turbines emit infrasound. Turbine infrasound is primarily produced by the interaction of the turbine blades with the tower and atmospheric turbulence as the blades rotate.
Infrasound is generally felt, not heard. Infrasonic sound has a documented history of research and development as a potential battlefield weapon. During the Cold War and afterwards, there were multiple speculative and experimental military projects investigating infrasound as a “non-lethal” or crowd control weapon.
Exposure to infrasound can cause both physical and psychological harm, potentially violating protections against torture or inhuman treatment, as outlined by various international conventions.
Harmful Effects of Infrasound on Human Health
· Cardiac Effects: Exposure to high-intensity infrasound has been shown to impair cardiac muscle contractility in vitro, suggesting that such exposure can negatively affect heart function within as little as one hour of exposure. Animal studies confirm damage to heart tissues and other organs at high infrasound levels. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8411947/
· Physical Symptoms: People exposed to infrasound may experience fatigue, lethargy, ear pressure, dizziness, distraction, drowsiness, sleep deprivation and feelings of depression.
· Organ and Cellular Damage: Prolonged exposure to infrasound can cause cellular damage to heart and liver tissues (in animal tests), including mitochondrial swelling and oxidative stress.
· Other Symptoms: Some studies report symptoms such as headaches, body sway, tinnitus, respiratory difficulties, and nausea after exposure to infrasound.
Infrasound can be harmful to livestock, particularly when they are exposed to prolonged levels.
Effects of Infrasound on Livestock Health:
https://www.aaem.pl/pdf-72613-9842?filename=Exposure+to+infrasonic.pdf
· Infrasound exposure can cause stress responses in animals, reflected by physiological changes such as elevated cortisol (stress hormone) levels, increased heart rate, and changes in metabolism
· Prolonged exposure to infrasound may lead to behavioural disorders, anxiety, and fear in livestock, potentially affecting animal welfare
· Livestock living near to sources of infrasound are prone to abortion and foetal reabsorption
· Exposure to persistent infrasound can weaken immune function and cause pathological changes, which may reduce productivity, such as lactation, fattening, and reproductive cycles
· Infrasound may cause vestibular effects impacting balance and equilibrium, as well as other non-audible physiological and psychological effects
· Studies on animals (like rats) exposed to high-intensity infrasound show increases in stress hormones but do not always show direct metabolic impairment immediately; effects can be complex and may develop over longer exposures.
Infrasound travels through walls with relatively low attenuation. This is because infrasound has very low frequencies and correspondingly long wavelengths, which are often much longer than the thickness of typical building walls. As a result, infrasound waves pass through walls and other solid barriers much more easily than higher-frequency (audible) sounds, which are typically absorbed or reflected more strongly.
This all means that anyone living or farming within 9km (5.5 miles) of Mynydd Mawr is likely to have their own health and the health and productivity of their livestock damaged by the proposed windfarm. The pattern of harmful noise distribution is not uniform and defends on local topography. The areas under threat include Llanrhaeadr, Llanarmon DC, Glyn Ceiriog, Llansilin, Rhydycroesau, Moelfre, Pentrefelin, Llangedwyn, Penybont LE, Llanfyllin, Llanfechain, Penybontfawr, Llangynog and Llandrillo.
In an interesting precedent, an Irish couple have recently won a court case against a windfarm operator for the noise pollution caused by the turbines. The turbines now have to be turned off at night and the operator has been made to pay over €1 million in compensation and the couple’s legal fees:
