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 turbine noise causes cancer is false and not supported by any scientific evidence. Health authorities such as the World Health Organization and the U.S. National Cancer Institute do not recognize wind turbine sound or vibrations as cancer risks. While turbines can produce low-frequency noise that may annoy some people or disrupt sleep if very close, there is no credible link between this noise and cancer. Experts suggest that reported symptoms are more likely due to the nocebo effect—when people experience health issues because they expect harm.

Answer 2

In just the first line of your claim there is shady material, "various interviews and social media posts", very professional. Also either the source you provide no longer exists or never existed in the first place, because it does not work. After brief research I found this statement from The National Library of Medicine, where they cite 60 scientific peer reviewed articles. The findings came down to this, "The available scientific evidence suggests that EMF, shadow flicker, low-frequency noise, and infrasound from wind turbines are not likely to affect human health". 

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

 

Answer 3

This claim is false. The link posted supporting this claim has since been deleted so I conducted my own research. Although there are a few sources that say wind turbines may have some sort of health effect I could not find anything reliable claiming and supporting that they cause cancer. Most sources just say that the biggest effect wind turbine noise has on our health is annoyance. 

Fact check links: 

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

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

Answer 4

This claim is false and not supported by credible scientific or medical evidence. The idea that wind turbines cause cancer appears to have originated from a comment made by President Donald Trump in 2019, which was widely criticized and fact-checked by health experts and scientists. The BBC article referenced here addresses this claim directly, stating that there is no evidence linking wind turbine noise or operation to cancer in humans.

Wind turbines do produce low-level noise and infrasound (sound below the threshold of human hearing), and some people who live near turbines have reported symptoms like headaches, sleep disturbance, and dizziness. These symptoms have been collectively referred to as "wind turbine syndrome" in some reports. However, multiple scientific reviews including those by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, Health Canada, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health have found no conclusive evidence that wind turbines cause serious health problems, and absolutely no link to cancer.

The World Health Organization and the American Cancer Society also do not list wind turbines as a cancer risk factor. Cancer typically results from genetic mutations often triggered by exposure to carcinogens like tobacco smoke, radiation, or certain chemicals. There is no known biological mechanism by which wind turbine noise or vibrations could cause such mutations.

It’s also important to consider the motivation and credibility of sources spreading this claim. Often, anti-wind sentiments stem from political or aesthetic opposition to wind farms not from medically verified concerns. The viral post in question does not cite any sources or studies and appears emotionally charged rather than evidence based.

The BBC, which covered this story, is considered a reliable news organization. The article thoroughly debunks the cancer claim, citing public health officials and energy experts. It also notes that while some people may find wind turbines annoying or disruptive to landscapes, this is very different from asserting a direct causal relationship with cancer.

In conclusion, the claim that wind turbines cause cancer is completely unfounded. While it is true that some individuals living near turbines have expressed concerns about noise or sleep quality, the scientific consensus is clear: there is no evidence that wind turbines cause cancer or any other life-threatening disease. The viral statement misrepresents both the science and the nature of public health risks.

Answer 5

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 6

4The claim “Wind turbines cause cancer” is seemingly incorrect. There isn’t any real evidence pointing to the claim. Wind turbines do not cause any adverse health effects, however people who live near wind turbines say that the sound can disrupt sleeping patterns and lead to excessive stress. So even though it might not be ideal due to the sound, there is no proof that wind turbines cause cancer. 

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

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

Answer 7

I think that this statement is overgeneralized making it incorrect. After reading an article from PMC it was concluded that windmills do not cause cancer, "There are also no globally accepted mechanisms that would suggest that low-level exposures are involved in cancer development and animal studies have been largely negative (65). Thus, the WHO has stated that, based on approximately 25,000 articles published over the past 30 years, the evidence linking childhood leukemia to EMF exposure is not strong enough to be considered causal (61)." (Knopper). Wind turbines can cause stress on someone however, cancer is not an effect of wind turbines. So the social media claims of windmills causing cancer and that's why people don't want to live by them is incorrect. People don't want to live by them because they put stress on them.

Answer 8

Based on what I reviewed, Wind turbines simply generate electricity using wind — they don’t release any harmful chemicals or radiation that could lead to cancer. Some people have raised concerns about the noise they make, but studies, including ones from Health Canada and other research groups, have found no link between wind turbine noise and cancer or any serious health effects. This claim likely spread because of misinformation and fear, but there’s no scientific evidence to support it. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/10/donald-trump-wind-turnbines-energy-cancer/ https://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/1927?ln=en

Answer 9

The claim that "the sound from windmills causes cancer" is not supported by scientific evidence. Extensive research has been conducted on the health effects of wind turbine noise, and while some individuals report annoyance and sleep disturbances, there is no credible evidence linking wind turbine noise to cancer.PubMed+1PMC+1

Scientific Consensus on Wind Turbine Noise and Health

• No Link to Cancer: The American Cancer Society states that it is "unaware of any credible evidence linking the noise from windmills to cancer." FactCheck.org+1Broner Consulting+1

• Sleep Disturbance and Annoyance: Some studies have found associations between wind turbine noise and increased annoyance or sleep disturbances. For instance, a systematic review reported that exposure to wind turbine noise is associated with increased odds of annoyance and sleep problems. However, these effects are not unique to wind turbines and can occur with other environmental noise sources.reflexscience.univ-gustave-eiffel.frPubMed+2PubMed+2PubMed+2

• No Evidence of Serious Health Effects: A comprehensive review concluded that while wind turbine noise can be annoying to some individuals, there is no evidence linking it to serious health effects such as cancer. PubMed+1TruthOrFake+1

Answer 10

This claim is false. Sound itself cannot cause cancer, the only health effects accurately reported to be not on the same scale as cancer, such as sleep disturbance and annoyance by the sound they emit.  "concluded that although there was evidence to suggest that wind turbines can be a source of annoyance to some people, there was no evidence demonstrating a direct causal link between living in proximity to wind turbines and more serious physiological health effects"

Wind Turbines and Human Health: PMC4063257

Wind turbines and health: An examination of a proposed case definition:PMC4900481