Systematic review of the human health effects of wind farms

Abstract

This independent review of the literature was commissioned by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to determine whether there is an association between exposure to wind farms and human health effects. The review was undertaken by independent reviewers from Adelaide Health Technology Assessment and the development of the review was guided by NHMRC’s Wind Farms and Human Health Reference Group. Direct evidence of any health effects was obtained through a systematic literature review of all the available evidence on exposure to the physical emissions produced by wind turbines. The emissions investigated were: noise, shadow flicker and the electromagnetic radiation (EMR) produced by wind turbines. A background literature review was also undertaken to establish whether there is basic biological evidence, or evidence from research into other circumstances of human exposure to the physical emissions that wind turbines produce, that makes it plausible that wind turbines cause adverse health effects. Before the review was finalised, an international expert organisation (independent from the reviewers) assessed the methodology and quality of the systematic review to ensure it was conducted in a robust and transparent manner.