Who: “[Health concerns are] justified on the scientific evidence. We know from evidence from field studies… that low frequency noise actually causes health problems, physiological damage to people.” Senator Nick Xenophon

The claim: There is scientific evidence that wind turbines cause health problems.

The facts: In July 2010, the National Health and Medical Research Council reviewed the literature and found that there is currently no published scientific evidence to positively link wind turbines with adverse health effects.

In January 2012, an Independent Expert Panel in the US released a Wind Turbine Health Impact Study Report for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Public Health. The report found that literature on human response to wind turbines related to self-reporting of “annoyance”.

The finding: Negative health outcomes appear to be caused by people being stressed by incorrect information about wind turbines not from the actual wind turbines. There is no evidence to show that wind turbines cause health problems.

Discussion of evidence: Reviews of the scientific literature have found that wind turbines cause no ill health effects. Health effects that are reported are consistent with stress and further studies have shown that there is a correlation between these adverse impacts and exposure to negative health information about wind turbines. Senator Xenophon is incorrect to say there is scientific evidence that point to wind turbines causing adverse health effects in humans.