Project wants to listen closely to wind turbine noise

Proposed research aims to determine once and for all if persistent humming from windmills makes people sick

Approximately 15,000 people in Denmark are exposed to the noise of wind turbines on a daily basis. A research project has been proposed to determine if the constant sound could cause health problems.

A small group from Kræftens Bekæmpelse, the Danish Cancer Society, is trying to get Danish authorities and international experts interested in providing the funding and developing the scientific framework for the research.

"Denmark is the only country in the world with such an excellent opportunity to do this type of research,” Mette Sørensen, a senior researcher for the cancer society, told Jyllands-Posten newspaper. “We have data going back 50 years.”

Interest in wind energy is growing around the world and many countries could make use of the findings revealed by the research.

Sørensen is involved in major EU research showing the connection between traffic noise and cardiovascular and other diseases and believes that it is logical to take a look at the noise created by wind turbines.

She has only been able to find one other study that looked at turbine noise, and the results were based only on the impressions of people who lived near the structures. Sørensen said that kind of anecdotal data is useless, because people could be reporting illnesses that they believed were caused by windmills that may actually have other causes and that some respondents focused on the nuisance factor rather than real health-related issues.

The new project would look at data form as far back as 1971 and examine the locations of the turbines, wind speeds, the people who live near the mills – and those who moved away – and hospital data showing health issues that occurred during the time that people lived near the windmills. Records of prescription medicines supplied to turbine neighbours will also be examined, with special attention paid to sleeping pills, blood pressure medications and antidepressants.

Sørensen stressed that despite national and international interest, funding for the research project has yet to fall into place.

Factfile | Wind turbine noise
The recommended upper limit for traffic noise is 58 decibels
For wind turbines, the upper limit is 44 decibels
An increase of just three decibels is equivalent to a doubling of the perceived noise

TOP STORIES

  • Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    After more than a decade living in Denmark, Russell shares why she made the move, how she’s coping, what she already misses, and the exciting new projects she’s working on. “It’s been a very tough decision. I love Denmark, and it will always hold a special place in my heart,” she says.

  • Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    The new Gefion AI supercomputer is one of the world’s fastest and will accelerate research and provide new opportunities in Danish academia and industry.

  • Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Experts believe it takes seven years to move into a new culture, according to leading Danish psychologist Jette Simon and therapist Vibeke Hartkorn. For expat couples, the challenges of starting a new life together in Denmark can put pressure on relationships, but emotions-focused therapy can help.

  • More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    Politicians debate a lot these days about when you can retire. The reality shows that an increasing number of Danes like to work, even if they can withdraw from the labor market. Financial incentives help.

  • Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Canadian-born environmental activist Paul Watson has been in prison in Greenland for almost 100 days awaiting an extradition decision for a 14-year-old offence against a Japanese whaling vessel that he calls a “minor misdemeanor”. The 73-year-old had previously passed through Ireland, Switzerland, Monaco, France and the USA without trouble, before Greenlandic police arrested him in July.

  • Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    When the Danish government in January presented the first of its schemes to make it easier to recruit foreign labour from outside the EU, it was hailed by the healthcare and service sectors as a timely and important policy shift. But while healthcare changes have been forthcoming, the service sector is still struggling, say the directors of the industry association Dansk Industri and one of the country’s largest private employers ISS.

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

  • Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    On Friday 27 and Saturday 28 of September, The Copenhagen Post will be at International Citizen Days in Øksnehallen on Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Admission is free and thousands of internationals are expected to attend

  • Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Chisom Udeze, the founder of Diversify – a global organization that works at the intersection of inclusion, democracy, freedom, climate sustainability, justice, and belonging – shares how struggling to find a community in Norway motivated her to build a Nordic-wide professional network. We also hear from Dr. Poornima Luthra, Associate Professor at CBS, about how to address bias in the workplace.

  • Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality, home to Denmark’s largest infrastructure project – the Fehmarnbelt tunnel connection to Germany – has launched a new jobseeker support package for the accompanying partners of international employees in the area. The job-to-partner package offers free tailored sessions on finding a job and starting a personal business.

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs