2017-03-30 08:25:17
French regulations relating to wind turbines introduce a minimum distance for the installation of wind turbines of 500 meters beyond any dwelling and the classification of wind farms under the system of installations classified for the protection of the environment (ICPE, decrees of August 26 2011), without specifically considering low sound frequencies and infrasound.
The development of wind turbines as a source of renewable electricity and complaints from local residents reported to the Ministry for the Environment and Energy, however, led the latter to contact ANSES to assess the effects on the health of low sound frequencies (20 Hz to 200 Hz) and infrasound (below 20 Hz) due to wind farms.
The Agency’s conclusions and recommendations
In order to supplement the data from the scientific literature on exposure to infrasound and low sound frequencies emitted by wind farms, ANSES commissioned measurement campaigns near three wind farms by the Center for Studies and expertise on risks, the environment, mobility and development (Cerema). The results of these campaigns confirm that wind turbines are sources of infrasound and low sound frequencies. However, no exceeding of the audibility thresholds in the infrasound and low frequency domains up to 50 Hz was observed.
Furthermore, the potential health effects of infrasound and low frequencies produced by wind turbines have been the subject of few scientific studies. However, all of the experimental and epidemiological data available today do not highlight any health effects related to exposure to noise from wind turbines, other than annoyance related to audible noise. (1).
Knowledge recently acquired in animals, however, shows the existence of biological effects induced by exposure to high levels of infrasound. These effects have not yet been described in humans, in particular for exposures of the order of those linked to wind turbines and found in local residents (long exposure at low levels). It should be noted that the link between these hypotheses of biological effects and the occurrence of a health effect is not currently documented.
ANSES concludes that current knowledge of the potential health effects related to exposure to infrasound and low-frequency sound does not justify either modifying the existing noise exposure limit values, or introducing specific limits infrasound and low sound frequencies.
In this context, the Agency recommends:
- improve the information provided to local residents during the installation of wind farms, in particular by transmitting information relating to wind farm projects as soon as possible (before the public inquiry) to the local residents concerned and by facilitating participation in public enquiries;
- strengthen the monitoring of noise exposure, by systematizing the controls of noise emissions from wind turbines before and following their commissioning and by setting up continuous noise measurement systems around wind farms (for example by building on what already exists in the airport sector);
- to continue research on the relationship between health and exposure to infrasound and low sound frequencies, particularly in view of the knowledge recently acquired in animals and by studying the feasibility of carrying out an epidemiological study aimed at observing the state of health of residents living near wind farms.
The Agency also recalls that current regulations provide that the distance from a wind turbine to the first dwelling is assessed on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the specificities of the parks. This distance, at least 500 m, can be extended once the impact study has been carried out, in order to comply with the noise exposure limit values.
(1) The threshold of audibility is the minimum sound volume perceptible by the human ear. The lower the sound frequencies, the higher the sound level must be to be perceptible.
1691081668
#Exposure #frequencies #infrasound #wind #farms #improve #information #local #residents #monitoring #noise #exposure #handles
