Toronto Star Letter
December 19, 2009
Re:Wind gets clean bill of health,
Business Dec. 15
Studies commissioned by Wind Energy lobby groups containing paid-for results should not be considered independent. This is rather an opinion piece of a hand-picked panel. It is a low order of scientific evidence.
No original research was conducted. But based on review of the literature a clean bill of health has been awarded. The most egregious finding was the absence of any need for further study. This conclusion is opposite from that decided by the government of Japan, which has launched a four-year epidemiological study into "Wind Turbine Disease."
The Maine Medical Association passed a motion asking its government for health studies as well. In France, a court ruled wind turbines should be shut down at night. And just this week it was reported that these very noise issues were suppressed in the U.K. to enable wind turbines to be placed closer to human habitation.
The New York Times carried a lengthy story of widespread corruption, influence peddling and fraud inside the worldwide wind industry.
There are competing claims: Hundreds of people are genuinely suffering from adverse health effects documented internationally; while the wind industry denies the problem.
One side wants an epidemiological study done; the other side does not.
Robert McMurtry, MD, Toronto
