Quantification of noise exposure from wind turbines in France

International audienceThe WHO guidelines on environmental noise highlight that evidence on the health effects of wind turbine noise is either non-existent or of poor quality. In this context, a feasibility study was conducted in France. The objective was to suggest a methodology for calculating wind turbine noise in order to quantify the number of windfarms' residents exposed to different levels of this noise. Based on a literature review, the Harmonoise model was selected for noise exposure calculation. The contribution of a wind farm varies from 35 dB(A) to 45 dB(A) for distances from 500m to 1500m, depending on weather conditions. Compared to other environmental noise sources (e.g. transportation), the noise exposure is very moderate and the total number of exposed people is very low: about 262,000 people during the day and 363,000 people at night, i.e. about 0.4% and 0.5% of the French population in 2017. Nearly 85% of the exposed population is exposed to levels below 40 dB(A). These results are the first ever assessment of noise exposure from wind turbines on the scale of the entire metropolitan French territory

Quantification of noise exposure from wind turbines in France

International audienceThe WHO guidelines on environmental noise highlight that evidence on the health effects of wind turbine noise is either non-existent or of poor quality. In this context, a feasibility study was conducted in France. The objective was to suggest a methodology for calculating wind turbine noise in order to quantify the number of windfarms' residents exposed to different levels of this noise. Based on a literature review, the Harmonoise model was selected for noise exposure calculation. The contribution of a wind farm varies from 35 dB(A) to 45 dB(A) for distances from 500m to 1500m, depending on weather conditions. Compared to other environmental noise sources (e.g. transportation), the noise exposure is very moderate and the total number of exposed people is very low: about 262,000 people during the day and 363,000 people at night, i.e. about 0.4% and 0.5% of the French population in 2017. Nearly 85% of the exposed population is exposed to levels below 40 dB(A). These results are the first ever assessment of noise exposure from wind turbines on the scale of the entire metropolitan French territory

Research on the impacts of wind turbine noise on humans: sound, perception, health (RIBEolH)

International audienceWind energy is expanding rapidly in France as elsewhere in the world, but the population is worried about the health impacts of wind turbine noise and some people are more annoyed than the sound field measurements would suggest. The annoyance is often described as resulting from infrasounds (IS) whereas the acoustic pressures of IS emitted by wind turbines would be below the perception thresholds. However, the possible inaudibility of IS does not exclude their action on the inner ear or the central nervous system (CNS). In this context, we propose a Research project on the Impacts of wind turbine noise on humans, in terms of sound simulation/synthesis and perception, and its effects on human Health (“RIBEolH”). The objectives of RIBEolH project are: - To assess the health effects of audible noise, low-frequency sounds (LFS) particularly, and IS, emitted by wind turbines. - To better understand the auditory mechanisms associated with the perception of IS and LFS emitted by wind turbines. - To better understand the effects of IS on the inner ear or CNS. To address these objectives, RIBEolH is based on two complementary parts: an epidemiological study and a psychoacoustic and physiological study

Research on the impacts of wind turbine noise on humans: sound, perception, health (RIBEolH)

International audienceWind energy is expanding rapidly in France as elsewhere in the world, but the population is worried about the health impacts of wind turbine noise and some people are more annoyed than the sound field measurements would suggest. The annoyance is often described as resulting from infrasounds (IS) whereas the acoustic pressures of IS emitted by wind turbines would be below the perception thresholds. However, the possible inaudibility of IS does not exclude their action on the inner ear or the central nervous system (CNS). In this context, we propose a Research project on the Impacts of wind turbine noise on humans, in terms of sound simulation/synthesis and perception, and its effects on human Health (“RIBEolH”). The objectives of RIBEolH project are: - To assess the health effects of audible noise, low-frequency sounds (LFS) particularly, and IS, emitted by wind turbines. - To better understand the auditory mechanisms associated with the perception of IS and LFS emitted by wind turbines. - To better understand the effects of IS on the inner ear or CNS. To address these objectives, RIBEolH is based on two complementary parts: an epidemiological study and a psychoacoustic and physiological study

Research on the impacts of wind turbine noise on humans: sound, perception, health (RIBEolH)

International audienceWind energy is expanding rapidly in France as elsewhere in the world, but the population is worried about the health impacts of wind turbine noise and some people are more annoyed than the sound field measurements would suggest. The annoyance is often described as resulting from infrasounds (IS) whereas the acoustic pressures of IS emitted by wind turbines would be below the perception thresholds. However, the possible inaudibility of IS does not exclude their action on the inner ear or the central nervous system (CNS). In this context, we propose a Research project on the Impacts of wind turbine noise on humans, in terms of sound simulation/synthesis and perception, and its effects on human Health (“RIBEolH”). The objectives of RIBEolH project are: - To assess the health effects of audible noise, low-frequency sounds (LFS) particularly, and IS, emitted by wind turbines. - To better understand the auditory mechanisms associated with the perception of IS and LFS emitted by wind turbines. - To better understand the effects of IS on the inner ear or CNS. To address these objectives, RIBEolH is based on two complementary parts: an epidemiological study and a psychoacoustic and physiological study

Research on the impacts of wind turbine noise on humans: sound, perception, health (RIBEolH)

International audienceWind energy is expanding rapidly in France as elsewhere in the world, but the population is worried about the health impacts of wind turbine noise and some people are more annoyed than the sound field measurements would suggest. The annoyance is often described as resulting from infrasounds (IS) whereas the acoustic pressures of IS emitted by wind turbines would be below the perception thresholds. However, the possible inaudibility of IS does not exclude their action on the inner ear or the central nervous system (CNS). In this context, we propose a Research project on the Impacts of wind turbine noise on humans, in terms of sound simulation/synthesis and perception, and its effects on human Health (“RIBEolH”). The objectives of RIBEolH project are: - To assess the health effects of audible noise, low-frequency sounds (LFS) particularly, and IS, emitted by wind turbines. - To better understand the auditory mechanisms associated with the perception of IS and LFS emitted by wind turbines. - To better understand the effects of IS on the inner ear or CNS. To address these objectives, RIBEolH is based on two complementary parts: an epidemiological study and a psychoacoustic and physiological study