{"id":20265,"date":"2012-03-11T17:03:09","date_gmt":"2012-03-11T21:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/static\/?p=20265"},"modified":"2012-03-11T20:32:59","modified_gmt":"2012-03-12T00:32:59","slug":"pierpont-responds-to-wind-turbine-syndrome-misinformation-mass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/2012\/pierpont-responds-to-wind-turbine-syndrome-misinformation-mass\/","title":{"rendered":"Pierpont responds to Wind Turbine Syndrome misinformation (Mass.)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pf-content\"><p><em>Editor&#8217;s note<\/em>: \u00a0The following letter was published by Dr. Pierpont in the Massachusetts newspaper, <a onclick=\"window.open('http:\/\/www.southcoasttoday.com\/apps\/pbcs.dll\/article?AID=\/20120302\/OPINION\/203020308','','scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,width=1000,height=1000,left='+(screen.availWidth\/2-500)+',top='+(screen.availHeight\/2-500)+'');return false;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.southcoasttoday.com\/apps\/pbcs.dll\/article?AID=\/20120302\/OPINION\/203020308\" target=\"_blank\">South Coast Today<\/a>, responding to a letter written by a Fairhaven, MA, resident named Donald Mulcare, titled \u00a0&#8220;<a onclick=\"window.open('http:\/\/www.southcoasttoday.com\/apps\/pbcs.dll\/article?AID=\/20120223\/PUB01\/202230344\/1039','','scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,width=1000,height=1000,left='+(screen.availWidth\/2-500)+',top='+(screen.availHeight\/2-500)+'');return false;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.southcoasttoday.com\/apps\/pbcs.dll\/article?AID=\/20120223\/PUB01\/202230344\/1039\" target=\"_blank\">Pierpont&#8217;s wind syndrome study isn&#8217;t applicable to Fairhaven<\/a>&#8221; (2\/23\/12).<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Nope,&#8221; replied Pierpont, &#8220;you&#8217;re wrong, buddy!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/nope_banner.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20271\" title=\"nope_banner\" src=\"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/nope_banner.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"137\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>To the editor:<\/p>\n<p>In response to Mr. <a onclick=\"window.open('http:\/\/www.southcoasttoday.com\/apps\/pbcs.dll\/article?AID=\/20120223\/PUB01\/202230344\/1039','','scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,width=1000,height=1000,left='+(screen.availWidth\/2-500)+',top='+(screen.availHeight\/2-500)+'');return false;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.southcoasttoday.com\/apps\/pbcs.dll\/article?AID=\/20120223\/PUB01\/202230344\/1039\" target=\"_blank\">Donald Mulcare\u2019s letter<\/a> in this paper on February 23, we need data to support his assertions that (a) there are 15 southern New England communities with active industrial wind turbines, (b) in 14 of these communities there are no health effects or complaints due to the turbines, and (c) <a onclick=\"window.open('http:\/\/www.sinovel.com\/en\/index.aspx','','scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,width=1000,height=1000,left='+(screen.availWidth\/2-500)+',top='+(screen.availHeight\/2-500)+'');return false;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sinovel.com\/en\/index.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Sinovel<\/a> turbines are somehow different with regard to noise and infrasound generation than the five brands of turbine described in my study or used elsewhere, including New England.<\/p>\n<p>In presuming that Fairhaven citizens will be safe from effects because they will be exposed to only two turbines, Mr. Mulcare dismisses the experience in Falmouth, MA and Vinalhaven, ME, where exposure to 1 to 3 turbines has caused marked health problems.<\/p>\n<p>Be that as it may, I have done Mr. Mulcare\u2019s research for him.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It\u2019s not valid to compare 1.5 MW turbines with 100 or 250 or 660 kW turbines (which he must have included to reach his total of 15 installations in southern New England), for the simple reason it\u2019s well documented in the scientific literature that the amount of infrasound produced by wind turbines increases the bigger they are (see <a onclick=\"window.open('https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/2011\/the-bigger-they-are-the-more-lfn-denmark\/','','scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,width=1000,height=1000,left='+(screen.availWidth\/2-500)+',top='+(screen.availHeight\/2-500)+'');return false;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/2011\/the-bigger-they-are-the-more-lfn-denmark\/\" target=\"_blank\">M\u00f8ller and Pedersen, Journal of the American Acoustical Society, 2011, vol. 129, p. 3727-44<\/a>).<\/li>\n<li>The potential for noise disturbance is not related to the brand of turbine, for the simple reason the disturbing pulsations are aerodynamic, spinning off the blades, rather than coming from the machinery of the gears or generator. \u00a0It\u2019s an old industry chestnut to assert, \u201c<em>Oh, those noisy old models\u2014we\u2019re not going to use one of them!<\/em>\u201d \u00a0Every wind turbine salesman says this. \u00a0But wait\u2014today\u2019s noisy old models were the new quiet ones of 2004 or 2007! \u00a0And I wonder why Mr. Mulcare imagines a rock-bottom Chinese turbine manufacturer is going to turn out a better product than the Americans, Danes or Germans? \u00a0(Sinovel is currently being sued for stealing wind turbine software from American Superconductor, a Mass. company, and it operates in a country notorious for its massive and systematic indifference to environmental and humanitarian constraints.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To help Mr. Mulcare with his data, I made a list of the single to triplet wind turbine installations in southern New England (i.e., Massachusetts and Rhode Island, since Connecticut has none) with turbines in the MW range. \u00a0All are 1.5 to 1.8 MW per turbine, while the smaller ones (which I ignore for this exercise) are 660 kW or less. \u00a0After making the list, I emailed a number of people in New England who know about wind turbines, asking about complaints or problems. \u00a0Call it a &#8220;grass-roots research strategy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Here are the results:<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00bb<\/span>\u00a0<strong>Hull Wind Turbine II<\/strong> (1.8 MW): \u00a0Complaints have been recorded on videotape.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00bb<\/span>\u00a0<strong>Ipswich Wind Farm I<\/strong> (1.6 MW): \u00a0Complaints have been lodged with the local government.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00bb<\/span>\u00a0<strong>Jiminy Peak Wind<\/strong> (1.5 MW): \u00a0Complaints have been lodged with the local government, despite the turbine being in a ski area.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00bb<\/span>\u00a0<strong>Massachusetts Military Reservation<\/strong> (3 x 1.5 MW): \u00a0There are known complaints.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00bb<\/span>\u00a0<strong>Mount Wachusett Community College<\/strong> (2 x 1.65): \u00a0No complaints known.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00bb<\/span>\u00a0<strong>NOTUS Wind I, Falmouth, MA<\/strong> (1.65 MW) and <strong>Town of Falmouth Wind I<\/strong> (1.65 MW): \u00a0Well-known health effects documented in <a onclick=\"window.open('https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/dr-nina-pierpont-interviews\/','','scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,width=1000,height=1000,left='+(screen.availWidth\/2-500)+',top='+(screen.availHeight\/2-500)+'');return false;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/dr-nina-pierpont-interviews\/\" target=\"_blank\">medical interviews by me on community TV<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00bb<\/span>\u00a0<strong>Princeton Wind Farm Project<\/strong> (2 x 1.5 MW): \u00a0There are known complaints, despite the turbines being in a ski area.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00bb<\/span>\u00a0<strong>Templeton Wind Turbine<\/strong> (1.65 MW): \u00a0There are known complaints. The turbine is next to a high school and middle school.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00bb<\/span>\u00a0<strong>Town of Portsmouth, RI, Wind Turbine<\/strong> (1.5 MW): \u00a0There are known complaints. \u00a0The turbine is next to a high school.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00bb<\/span>\u00a0<strong>Fall River Philips Wind Turbine<\/strong> (2 MW): \u00a0Only up a few weeks; won\u2019t generate till spring.<\/p>\n<p>I count 9 wind turbine installations comparable to the planned pair of 1.5 MW turbines in Fairhaven (not counting Fall River). \u00a0Eight out of 9 have known complaints. \u00a0Even calling all 9 \u201ccomparable\u201d is a stretch, since 2 sets are off on mountaintops, though still within a mile of homes.<\/p>\n<p>Many of the smaller single turbines in Massachusetts have also generated complaints, including those in Barnstable, Bourne, Dennis, Hull, Nantucket (where one turbine broke apart in moderate winds and another has provoked complaints), Newburyport, and Woods Hole.<\/p>\n<p>A far cry from \u201c14 out of 15\u201d being unaffected. \u00a0I guess it depends on who you ask.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Mulcare, <em>who did you ask<\/em>? \u00a0Even if it were just 1 out of 15 affected, as you argue, would that be okay? \u00a0What about 1 out of 15 people? \u00a0Just roadkill, collateral damage, a few eggs broken while making the omelette? \u00a0Since it\u2019s only a small part of the \u201cgeneral population,\u201d you can tolerate that? \u00a0Just a few of your neighbors driven out of their homes\u2014but not too many?<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Mulcare, anyone with migraines in your family, or inner ear problems, motion sensitivity, or advanced age? \u00a0You say you&#8217;ve read the book; these are the proven risk factors. \u00a0Every disease on the planet affects some people more than others. \u00a0There are, I assure you, susceptible people in your community, too.<\/p>\n<p>What if, Mr. Mulcare\u2014it\u2019s you or your family?<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Editor&#8217;s note: \u00a0The following letter was published by Dr. Pierpont in the Massachusetts newspaper, South Coast Today, responding to a letter written by a Fairhaven, MA, resident named Donald Mulcare, titled \u00a0&#8220;Pierpont&#8217;s wind syndrome study isn&#8217;t applicable to Fairhaven&#8221; (2\/23\/12). &#8220;Nope,&#8221; replied Pierpont, &#8220;you&#8217;re wrong, buddy!&#8221; To the editor: In response to Mr. Donald Mulcare\u2019s letter in this paper on February 23, we need data to support his assertions that (a) there are 15 southern New England communities with active industrial wind turbines, (b) in 14 of these communities there are no health effects or complaints due to the turbines, and (c) Sinovel turbines are somehow different with regard to noise and infrasound generation than the five brands of turbine described in my study or used elsewhere, including New England. In presuming that Fairhaven citizens will be safe from effects because they will be exposed to only two turbines, Mr. Mulcare dismisses the experience in Falmouth, MA and Vinalhaven, ME, where exposure to 1 to 3 turbines has caused marked health problems. Be that as it may, I have done Mr. Mulcare\u2019s research for him. It\u2019s not valid to compare 1.5 MW turbines with 100 or 250 or 660 kW turbines (which he must have included to reach his total of 15 installations in southern New England), for the simple reason it\u2019s well documented in the scientific literature that the amount of infrasound produced by wind turbines increases the bigger they are (see M\u00f8ller and Pedersen, Journal of the American Acoustical Society, 2011, vol. 129, p. 3727-44). The potential for noise disturbance is not related to the brand of turbine, for the simple reason the disturbing pulsations are aerodynamic, spinning off the blades, rather than coming from the machinery of the gears or generator. \u00a0It\u2019s an old industry chestnut to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/2012\/pierpont-responds-to-wind-turbine-syndrome-misinformation-mass\/#rdmore\" >Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[157,163,16,162],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20265"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20265\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}