Wind turbines cause cancer

Question

This claim has been made in various interviews and social media posts, suggesting that the noise or vibrations from wind turbines can lead to serious health problems, including cancer. One viral post stated:
"The sound from windmills causes cancer. People don’t want to live near them for a reason."

Answer 1

The claim that wind turbines can give people cancer is incorrect and not supported by scientific evidence. The unsubstantiated claim about cancer increased its visibility when Donald Trump included a statement in a speech while at a fundraiser in 2019 by saying, "they say the noise causes cancer" and yet there has never been a reputable health or scientific agency that has made such a claim connecting wind turbine noise and cancer (Washington Post, April 3, 2019). The World Health Organization (WHO), Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), and Health Canada undertook their own reviews of the research on wind turbine noise and all came to the same conclusion which was that wind turbine noise could be irritating or have an impact on sleep for some individuals, but there is no evidence to claim that wind turbine noise causes cancer or any other significant disease. WHO published Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region in 2018 in which the report, "There is no reliable evidence for adverse health effects from wind turbine noise other than annoyance and sleep disturbance" (WHO, 2018). The NHMRC concluded in their 2015 report that there was "no consistent evidence" of any adverse health impacts of wind farms (NHMRC, 2015). The Health Canada report from 2014 that followed 1,200+ homes near wind turbines concluded, "there is no evidence to support a causal link between exposure to wind turbine noise and any of the self-reported illnesses" (Health Canada, 2014).  All these reports were based on peer reviewed research rather than anecdotal evidence or political claims. Given the evidence, I think it is safe to claim that wind turbines cause cancer is misinformation.

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789289053563

https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/reports/wind-farms-human-health-report.pdf

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/environmental-workplace-health/noise/wind-turbine-noise/wind-turbine-noise-health-study-summary.html 

Answer 2

Wind turbines do not cause cancer; the only problem they cause is due to the sound of them. People who live by wind turbines report trouble sleeping, and mood swings. But none of those concerns are related to cancer in any way. According to Cancer health "wind farms may reduce the national burden of cancer—particularly lung cancer—if they replace coal-fired electrical generating plants". 

plantshttps://www.cancerhealth.com/article/wind-turbine-noise-cancer-myth

Comments

Your Point that Wind turbines do not cause cancer is correct. This is an incorrect belief, with no supportive scientific evidence. your argument is sound and you use good sources to support your argument.

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The statement is correct because official data shows a significant drop in overseas visitors to the U.S. since Trump’s 2025 re-election. Factors include stricter immigration policies, increased tariffs, and negative global perception of Trump’s rhetoric, making the U.S. less appealing for international tourists. Credible sources confirm this trend.

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Your response has potential, but if you had gone a little bit deeper with your response it would have been more effective. Your source is solid and you are correct with your facts, though.

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I appreciate your response and I think you have a good source but I think it would be very helpful if you went more into depth and explained your response a little more. However I do like how you mentioned that the people near windmills often complain about the noise but it is not related to other health effects.

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Nice point about wind farms possibly reducing lung cancer by replacing coal plants. That’s huge, and often overlooked. Maybe you could highlight that even if turbines don’t directly improve health, they contribute to cleaner air, which has very real public health benefits, especially for communities near fossil fuel plants.

Answer 3

This claim is false. 

In a study and article from the National Library of Medicine, wind turbines overall are not related to nor cause "adverse health effects". Although it does not mention cancer directly, it is safe to assume that cancer falls into the "adverse health effects" category. It is important to mention that wind turbines can cause other disturbances such as lack of sleep, and annoyance from the noise, which can lead to a stressed state, or less than ideal psychological state. 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4063257/

In another study examining this exact issue, the abstract did find this: Exposure to higher burden of wind turbines was shown to increase cancer incidence, but this effect was marginal and only found in one test. However, it is ultimately concluded that "Greater exposure to wind turbines does not appear to increase cancer incidence." 

https://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/1927?ln=en

Comments

This is a good fact check. I appreciate the evidence you provide and the inclusion of research studies. i also like that you include 2 of them. I like how you stated some of the things it contributes to like lack of sleep, clearing the air.

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Good fact check! I like how you use several credible resources. You offered the counter opinion of the increase but only for one study was important to persuade your audience.

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I really like how you used solid, trustworthy sources like the National Library of Medicine and the University of Chicago study. You were upfront about that one test showing a small increase in cancer cases, but you didn’t let it distract from the main point—that the overall conclusion says there’s no real link between wind turbines and cancer. It shows you’re not just picking bits of info to fit a story, but actually paying attention to the full picture.







I really like how you used solid, trustworthy sources like the National Library of Medicine and the University of Chicago study. You were upfront about that one test showing a small increase in cancer cases, but you didn’t let it distract from the main point—that the overall conclusion says there’s no real link between wind turbines and cancer. It shows you’re not just picking bits of info to fit a story, but actually paying attention to the full picture.

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This claim was well articulated and has been backed up with evidence. The sources are trusted sites and are very credible. The use of two sources also further emphasizes the credibility of your claim.

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Your fact check was very thorough and I liked how you included that although it can have certain impacts on sleep due to noise, it does not have any major health impacts. I have attached an additional source to support this claim.

https://cleangridalliance.org/_uploads/_media_uploads/_source/No_Health_Impacts_From_Wind_Turbines_Studies_Consistently_Show_-_CGA_-_2019.pdf#:~:text=Although%20some%20people%20living%20near,How%20loud%20are%20wind%20turbines?

Answer 4

One source talks about how the wind turbines are in fact very loud, which can lead to sleep loss and other possible health issues. However cancer was not stated in this article. They mention "Wind Turbine Syndrome" which isn't a real medical term, but is used to describe the many symptoms that come from living by one. Unfortunately the original factcheck source link doesn't work, however I don't see any sources claiming that it is true. One source says that cancer is uncontrollable cell mutation, and sound waves aren't enough to cause this.

https://goingcoastal.org/against-wind-power/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22212524391&gbraid=0AAAAA-b0nSTBM499V_Ql3WzhT6-i1bA_L&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0erBBhDTARIsAKO8iqSno2_xR91XJU6nExfG8Pqqonfx7dOZglc38EtC3IeOAjZMZjxmBuEaAl2XEALw_wcB

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_turbine_syndrome#:~:text=for%20miles%20around.-,French%20legal%20case,Singladou%20Energie%20for%20%E2%82%AC110%2C000.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/10/donald-trump-wind-turnbines-energy-cancer/

Comments

Wikipedia might not be a vild source for you to use. I also think that a better source than Going Costal could be used, as it doesn't seem to have a stated author.

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You make some good points, especially in noting there's no evidence linking wind turbines to cancer and that "Wind Turbine Syndrome" isn’t a recognized medical condition. Your conclusion about sound waves not causing cell mutation is accurate. However, some sources like Wikipedia and GoingCoastal.org are less reliable, so stronger evidence from scientific or medical institutions would really strengthen your argument.

Answer 5

This claim is false, wind turbines do not cause cancer. With your information being from social media posts and random interviews there is no reliable source or facts to support that wind turbines cause cancer. President Trump made a statement talking about the wind turbines, and like how all rumors start, others changed it up to have a new meaning. Also your main point in this claim is that the wind turbine sound is the "cause" of the cancer, sounds such as loud noises don't directly give you cancer although it could lead to cancer but its in rare cases that it does.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/10/donald-trump-wind-turnbines-energy-cancer/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7930229/#:~:text=Recently%2C%20a%20few%20clinical%20studies,breast%20cancer%20risk%20(27).

Comments

I agree with you that the claim is false. However, I think it might be difficult to track down the start of the claim that wind turbines cause cancer. Especially since the original poster claimed that it came from a BBC article that doesn't exist anymore. We can assume that it started because of Donald Trump, but we have no true way of knowing this. I do however like how you added a reliable scientific article to back up your claims.

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I agree that the claim about wind turbines causing cancer is false. However, tracing the origin of this rumor is tricky, especially since the supposed BBC article no longer exists. While some suggest Donald Trump might have played a role in spreading it, there’s no solid evidence to confirm that. I do appreciate that you supported your argument with a credible scientific source—that really strengthens your position. Adding a bit more about why these myths spread could make your point even clearer.

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You’re right that there’s no solid evidence linking wind turbines to cancer, and social media isn’t a reliable source. I’d just be careful with suggesting that loud noise could “rarely” lead to cancer. There’s no strong research supporting that. Your fact-check is clear overall, just could use a bit more precision on that point.

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Your response should elaborate on why there is no credibility from posts on social media. Credible sources and people post on social media all the time. You should go deeper on why the sources in question aren't reliable. For example, if its random people on social media making these claims, then the information they say should be taken with a grain of salt. Furthermore, just because Donald Trump is in a position of power, doesn't mean anything he says should be accepted as true without question. Evidence should be provided that proves the validity or falseness of every statement.

Answer 6

Wind turbines don't cause cancer. They do have some adverse health affects such as "decreased quality of life, annoyance, stress, sleep disturbance, headache, anxiety, depression, and cognitive dysfunction" (Jeffery) for those who live near them. But there has been no research to suggest that they cause cancer. Also the article provided doesn't exist anymore/if at all. And the BBC, while a reputable news source, are not a scientific journal so all of their scientific claims should be taken with a grain of salt.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3653647/

Comments

You did a good job separating the real health concerns from the exaggerated ones. I appreciate that you didn’t just say “this is fake” but instead explained the actual effects of wind turbines on nearby residents. That nuance is important. One thing you could add is how misinformation like this often gets amplified by public figures, like when Trump made that claim in 2019. That gave it visibility even though there was no scientific basis. Also, maybe clarify that the adverse health effects you listed are more likely linked to sound sensitivity or stress, not physical exposure to turbine materials or EMFs. That distinction helps the science land more clearly.

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I like what you’re saying here — it’s true that wind turbines don’t cause cancer, but they can cause some real annoyances like stress, sleep problems, and headaches for people living close by. You also make a good point about the article not being available anymore, and that even trusted sources like the BBC aren’t the same as scientific journals, so it’s smart to take their science claims with a bit of caution. Overall, you explained it clearly and honestly.

Answer 7

The claim that wind turbines cause cancer is false. The article provided was from the BBC, which is a highly reliable news source, but it says the source isn't currently accessible, making it difficult to verify the claim, assess the legitimacy of the author, and decipher whether this is current or old news. It's possible this article was removed to stop the spread of misinformation, especially if the original claim was disproven. Additionally, your information is gathered from social media posts and interviews, which aren't reliable or trustworthy sources to prove that wind turbines cause cancer. According to the National Library of Medicine, "The available scientific evidence suggests that EMF, shadow flicker, low-frequency noise, and infrasound from wind turbines are not likely to affect human health." This quote is from a reliable government source, and it proves that wind turbines aren't associated with health conditions like cancer. Lastly, I didn't find any information on PolitiFact or FactCheck.org about wind turbines causing cancer, which further proves that this claim is false and isn't supported by reliable sources. 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4063257/ 

Comments

I really appreciate how you acknowledged that while the BBC is a reliable source the inability to verify the source nullifies the validity of the claim because that information is inaccessible to you. Also recognizing the possibility of misinformation being the cause of the article being taken down shows that you’re well aware of the reaching claims being made. Using a reliable government source validates your claim and proves credibility. Great Job!

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You make a great point about the importance of reliable sources, and I agree that social media posts aren’t trustworthy evidence. It’s good you highlighted the National Library of Medicine study showing no link between wind turbines and health problems like cancer. I also like that you checked fact-checking sites for confirmation. Overall, your fact-check is clear and well-supported!

Answer 8

The claim that wind turbines cause cancer is not true. The source and link provided to help support the claim brings you to an error every time you click on it.  Although the company BBC News can be found as a reliable source, the article that is attached cannot be found. Their other sources included "various interviews" and "social media posts" which in this case anyone could say anything. There is no good evidence to support the claim that is being made.

According to a New York Times article fact checking Donald Trump's claim that wind turbines cause cancer, it says that Trump is wrong. It is quoted in the article that "The American Cancer Society is unaware of any credible evidence linking the noise from windmills to cancer." The New York Times is a very credible source and has trustworthy information.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/03/climate/fact-check-trump-windmills.html

Answer 9

Wind turbines do not cause cancer and there is no correlation to them causing cancer. Wind turbines happen to loud for the people that live next to them and those people report sleep loss because of that noise. This noise is only a disruption to the people that live next to them and therefore have no relation to causing cancer.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4063257/

Comments

This answer brings up a good point of how wind turbines affect human health, and using the National Institute of Health as your source is very credible, however your response does less to directly address and disprove the original claim of wind turbines causing cancer.

Answer 10

The claim that wind turbines cause cancer is false. It originated from a 2019 statement by Donald Trump, but no scientific evidence supports it. According to the American Cancer Society, there is "no valid or peer-reviewed scientific research showing that the noise or electromagnetic fields from wind turbines cause cancer." Peer-reviewed studies also confirm there is no link between wind turbines and cancer, though some people may experience sleep disturbance or annoyance.

American Cancer Society — https://www.cancer.org

Comments

I think that your response does a great job getting to it's point. Your response was able to provide the origin of the myth, explain why the claim is incorrect, and also was able to use a reliable source to support the claim that wind turbines do not cause cancer.