Page 28 - Volume 9, Issue 3

Sampling will be conducted on volunteers that are at least 18 years of age. Each participant will be asked to complete a 25-minute computer-assisted personal interview. The questionnaire will be read to the subject and it includes modules that assess demographics and validated scales that provide information on well-being, sleep quality and noise annoyance. The prevalence of chronic illness and symptoms collectively referred to as “WTN syn- drome” are also included in the questionnaire.
To ensure that the validity of the study is not compromised in any way, the questionnaire and sampling locations will only be revealed when the study is completed. Self-selection bias is something that needs to be carefully addressed in this study because it is unreasonable to assume that subjects will not be aware of the purpose of this study. This can be partially accounted for with a participation rate of between 70 and 75% and with a characteri- zation of non-respondents that includes demo- graphics and dwelling location relative to the tur- bines.
In addition to the questionnaire, subjects’ blood pressure will be taken following a standard- ized protocol. A small hair sample will be collected for the purpose of quantifying average cortisol lev- els over the 3 months preceding the collection peri- od. A wrist-worn actimeter will be used to provide an objective measure of total sleep time and sleep efficiency for a period of 7 consecutive days. A small pilot study utilizing 15 volunteers will be con- ducted to evaluate different actimeter models, and to assess anticipated issues associated with non- compliance. The value of adding a complementary sleep diary will also be part of this pilot study.
The study is, presumably, underway in Canada. It is hoped that the measurements are appropriate to determine that the symptoms experienced by the subjects are real. It is certain than people do not just make these things up. Many of the stories told about wind turbine syndrome are of people who were solidly for the technology. So far, most governments have been in denial mode about the adverse health effects of living too close to wind turbines. It is hoped that the data from the various studies will confirm the existence of a problem.
Wind Turbine Noise Study — Massachusetts
Another study is underway in Massachusetts, under the
aegis of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. The work
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was solicited in September 2012 . Massachusetts has over 40
operating wind turbines in the size range of 100 kW to 2.0 MW. The work was expected to commence in October 2012 and last for 18 months. The study is being done in coopera- tion with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Policy and a Technical Advisory Group. The project is in two phases: Project Monitoring and Data Analysis. Quoting from the RFP:
The Phase 1: Project Monitoring will be per- formed at all participating projects by qualified
acoustical consultants. Consultants will seek to complete monitoring at up to 12 operating projects. The monitoring period will last approximately two weeks and will consist of both short-term attended monitoring and long-term unattended monitoring. The short-term attended monitoring would be used to collect data to complete both the Basic and Detailed Analysis of Phase 2. The concurrent long- term monitoring would only be used to complete the Detailed Analysis.
Phase 1 will also require concurrent collection of meteorological data at or near the site. The pos- sible data sources for each project will have to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but might include existing nearby met towers, a temporary SODAR installation, or a temporary met tower installation.
Terrain data will also be collected in Phase 1, specifically related to ground cover, topography and any other relevant factors that could influence proj- ect acoustics. This phase might further collect data related to any indoor monitoring, such as building type, construction, and room size, if such analyses are undertaken.
The Phase 2: Data Analysis will utilize the data collected in Phase 1 to analyze the acoustics of indi- vidual projects and to assess the influence of differ- ent factors on the acoustics of all projects. Phase 2 will be broken down into two tasks, as described below:
The Task 1: Basic Analysis will utilize the short-term attended monitoring data to provide a basic analy- sis of wind project sound levels compared to exist- ing ambient by quantifying both
• the ambient acoustic levels without the turbine oper- ating
• the basic acoustic impact with the turbine operating. The Task 2: Detailed Analysis will utilize both the short-term attended and the long-term unattended monitoring data to
• Understand qualities of sound impact from different turbines under different conditions
> How do the acoustic emissions vary with respect to wind turbine technology (power capacity, power regulation, tower type, blade design, etc.)?
> How do impacts vary with respect to distance, direction, and ambient environment (rural or suburban)?
> Are there characteristics of wind turbine noise that are significantly different than those in the existing environment (frequency spectrum, amplitude modulation, etc..)?
> Are there characteristics of the Massachusetts environment that particularly influence wind turbine acoustics (wind shear, atmospheric con- ditions, land cover, topography, etc.)?
• Understand the correlation between predictive acoustic modeling and actual acoustic impact
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