What Can I Do If Wind Turbines Are Planned?
While not everyone is affected by the operating wind turbines or noise from other industrial sources – and hopefully you and your family will be one of the luckier ones – there is still a lot you can do if an industrial noise generating development has been planned or approved to be built near you.
Become informed
Educating yourself, your family, friends and community with accurate information is vital. This website and others such as Wind Watch have an extensive Resources section with articles, reports, and written and video testimony from residents. For people impacted by sources of noise other than wind turbines much of the scientific information on this website is equally relevant.
Visit or make contact with residents at existing industrial noise generating developments, and learn directly from their experiences. If you don’t know anyone, we may be able to help you link up with residents in a similar situation to your own who are willing to share their experiences and knowledge. See our Sources of Help for the contact details of those impacted by sources of industrial noise other than wind turbines.
See your local doctor
See your local doctor for a comprehensive general check up and blood pressure check prior to construction of the local industrial development.
Educate your local doctor
You can also start educating your local doctor about the problems which have been described in rural residents living near wind turbines or other noise generating facilities.
By doing this, your doctor will then be more aware of the problems that have been reported by others and what they might need to look for in you. A good place for them to start their research is in the Information for Health Practitioners & Researchers section of our website.
Monitor existing medical conditions
If you have any underlying medical conditions which have been reported to become unstable in residents exposed to operating wind turbines or other sources of industrial noise, it is worthwhile you and your treating doctors keeping a very close eye on them once the wind development starts operating. These include:
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Angina
- Thyroid disorders
- Asthma
- PTSD
Concerned about blood pressure, purchase a monitor
You could consider purchasing your own blood pressure monitor if concerns emerge about your blood pressure becoming elevated. If you do this, seek your doctor’s advice from the start. Your doctor can:
- Give advice on which monitor to purchase
- Check your monitor against the one they use to ensure it is properly calibrated
- Ensure that your technique for measuring is correct
- Monitor your readings
Start a personal health journal
Some people have started personal health journals before the noise generation starts in order to get in the habit of keeping them, and to make sure they have some baseline data.
Learn how to keep a Personal Health Journal.
Actively manage your stress
Changes such as a proposal for a major industrial development in the neighbourhood can be extremely stressful. Community division is a major problem and the ripple effects in small tightly knit communities and extended families can be extensive.
Look after yourself as best you can, and get support and help if and when you need it.
The better informed your health care providers are the better they will be able to help care for you and others in the community, and advocate for the necessary changes to noise pollution regulations and their enforcement.