September 28, 2017 By: Fadi Didi
A study into the health effects of industrial wind turbines in Huron County is awaiting research ethics clearance.
Epidemiologist, Dr. Erica Clark, says the clearance is a normal part of conducting research effecting public health.
The study from the Huron County Health Unit will examine areas not touched on by a 2015 Health Canada study, which examined the health effects on those living within earshot of wind turbines.
As for the ethics clearance, Clark says a research ethics committee board at the University of Waterloo will ensure the study meets a strict set of guidelines.
Those include ensuring participants are giving free and informed consent, are not exposed to undue harm when taking part, and understand what they are agreeing to when participating.
Clark hopes to recruit several hundred participants in the upcoming survey.
The results are expected to be shared nationally.
In late 2014, Health Canada released the results of a study, which found no link between wind turbines and adverse health in those living nearby.
The study did, however, link turbine noise with increased levels of annoyance of nearby residents.
MORE INFORMATION about WIND TURBINE STUDY : Huron County Public Health Unit
Mothers Against Wind Turbines Inc. 
Good luck with the study, it seems it doesn’t matter how many studies are done there is nothing these wind companies can do wrong. Rural Chatham-Kent has already felt the effects of the construction of wind turbines with bad wells and yet it seems these companies do not want to take responsibility for what harm they do!
The sheer irony of this situation is that it is highly unethical to leave the turbines running this whole time. The criteria for assessment to initiate an investigation was met and publicly declared in early March of 2016.
Residents had sent reports of harm to all who are responsible, including the Health Unit, since shortly after the turbines were turned on a year earlier. This should have been enough evidence of harm from noise, low frequency noise modulations and infrasound radiation to order the turbines turned off.
There are still residents who are experiencing the harm who have no idea what is causing these symptoms. When a woman went to her doctor with the classic symptoms as listed on the Waubra Foundation website, she was prescribed a pharmaceutical that had a long list of dangerous side effects! Her doctor did not connect the dots for her despite the fact that every health care professional in Huron County received a package of information on the harm from turbines!
Is there evidence of harm from noise, low frequency noise modulations and infrasound radiation from power lines, generators and transformers or are these issues only directly related to wind turbines? If so do the turbines create more of these issues than what goes through our hydro system from other forms of hydro creation?
The impacts of sound and noise and adverse health effects are well documented from multiple sources and have an extensive history of many decades of research. Wind turbines seem to be unique in that complaints of adverse health effects occur at lower levels of audible noise than other noise sources such as aviation or traffic. Research is looking at the relationship of infrasound and its role in regards to human health. Industrial wind turbines (using wind) are currently part of Ontario’s electrical generation. (“hydro” is used for water generation of electricity- though the term is commonly used to include all generation sources). WHO is currently reviewing its guidelines for community noise and will be considering the impacts of wind turbine noise as part of that process: http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/environment-and-health/noise/activities/development-of-who-environmental-noise-guidelines-for-the-european-region