Full Citation

Title: Wind Turbine Syndrome: The Impact of Wind Farms on Suicide

Citation Type: Miscellaneous

Publication Year: 2017

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Abstract: Current technology uses wind turbines’ blade aerodynamics to convert wind energy to electricity. This process generates significant low-frequency noise that reportedly results in residents’ sleep disruptions, among other annoyance symptoms. However, the existence and the importance of wind farms’ health effects on a population scale remain unknown. Exploiting over 800 utility-scale wind turbine installation events in the United States from 2001-2013, I show robust evidence that wind farms lead to significant increases in suicide. I explore three indirect tests of the role of low-frequency noise exposure. First, the suicide effect concentrates among individuals who are vulnerable to noise-induced illnesses, such as the elderly. Second, the suicide effect is driven by days when wind blows in directions that would raise residents’ exposure to low-frequency noise radiation. Third, data from a large-scale health survey suggest increased sleep insufficiency as new turbines began operating. These findings point to the value of noise abatement in future wind technology innovations.

Url: https://docs.wind-watch.org/Zou-suicide-2017-Oct.pdf

User Submitted?: No

Authors: Zou, Eric

Publisher: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Data Collections: IPUMS NHGIS

Topics: Fertility and Mortality, Natural Resource Management, Other

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