Marie McCormack
Submission to Health Canada Wind Turbine Noise and Health Study, 2012
Dear Minister Aglukkaq:
I was very happy to hear about the proposed study on the health effects of wind turbines, especially since a proposal to erect a wind turbine in the small community of Welshpool, Campobello Island has many residents here concerned about how it may affect their health. We know that many people around the world have already suffered adverse health effects because of wind turbines located too close to residential areas, and welcome your initiative.
Now that Health Canada has acknowledged that there are gaps in the scientific knowledge with regard to health issues, I hope you will impose a moratorium on any wind power developments until the results of the study become available. Common sense suggests that the "precautionary principle" should apply in this case, a fact which the provinces and many municipalities are ignoring.
I believe you would agree that such an important study should be seen to be unbiased and impartial; however I note that both the North American Platform Against Wind Power (NA-PAW) and the European Platform Against Windfarms (EPAW), which regroup over 600 associations of victims from 26 countries, have expressed concerns about the impartiality of the study as it is currently envisioned.
I support their suggestion that the study be conducted by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. As well, I urge you to consult their suggested list of researchers:
Dr. Robert Y. McMurtry, M.D., F.R.C.S. (C), F.A.C.S., Canada; Carmen Krogh, BSc Pharm, Researcher Wind Turbines - Adverse Health and Social Justice, Canada; Stephen Ambrose, Acoustician, USA; Dr. Jeffery Aramini, Epidemiologist, Canada; Dr Arline Bronzaft, Noise and Health Specialist, USA; Dr Steven Cooper, ENG Fellow Australian Acoustical Society and Member of Institute of Noise Control, USA; Professor Phillip Dickinson, Acoustician, New Zealand; Barbara J. Frey BA, MA and Peter J. Haddon, BSc, FRICS, Scotland; Dr Christopher Hanning, BSc, MB, BS, MRCS,LRCS, LRCP, FRCA, MD, Sleep Disturbance and Wind Turbines, UK; Professor Colin Hansen, Acoustician, Australia; Dr Magda Havas, Biological and Health Effects of Electromagnetic and Chemical Pollution, Canada; Richard James, INCE Acoustician, USA; Dr Mauri Johansson, Specialist in Community Health and Occupational Medicine, Denmark; Dr. Sarah Laurie, CEO Waubra Foundation, Australia; Professor Henrik Moeller, Acoustic Specialist, Denmark; Dr. Michael Nissenbaum, Radiologist, USA; Dr. Carl Phillips, Epidemiologist, USA; Dr. Nina Pierpont, Author of Wind Turbine Syndrome, USA; Robert Rand, Acoustician, USA; Dr. Daniel Shepherd, Noise and Health Specialist, New Zealand; Dr Malcolm Swinbanks, Acoustician, UK; Dr.Robert Thorne, Health Sciences and Acoustics, Australia.
Yours sincerely,
Marie McCormack
Welshpool, Campobello Island, NB