TY - JOUR
T1 - The health effects of 72 hours of simulated wind turbine infrasound
T2 - a double-blind randomized crossover study in noise-sensitive, healthy adults
AU - Marshall, Nathaniel S
AU - Cho, Garry
AU - Toelle, Brett G.
AU - Tonin, Renzo
AU - Bartlett, Delwyn J
AU - D'Rozario, Angela L.
AU - Evans, Carla A.
AU - Cowie, Christine T.
AU - Janev, Oliver
AU - Whitfeld, Christopher R.
AU - Glozier, Nick
AU - Walker, Bruce E.
AU - Killick, Roo
AU - Welgampola, Miriam S.
AU - Phillips, Craig L.
AU - Marks, Guy B.
AU - Grunstein, Ronald R.
PY - 2023/3/22
Y1 - 2023/3/22
N2 - BACKGROUND: Large electricity-generating wind turbines emit both audible sound and inaudible infrasound at very low frequencies that are outside of the normal human range of hearing. Sufferers of wind turbine syndrome (WTS) have attributed their ill-health and particularly their sleep disturbance to the signature pattern of infrasound. Critics have argued that these symptoms are psychological in origin and are attributable to nocebo effects.OBJECTIVES: We aimed to test the effects of 72 h of infrasound (1.6-20 Hz at a sound level of ∼ 90 dB pk re 20 μ Pa , simulating a wind turbine infrasound signature) exposure on human physiology, particularly sleep. METHODS: We conducted a randomized double-blind triple-arm crossover laboratory-based study of 72 h exposure with a > 10 -d washout conducted in a noise-insulated sleep laboratory in the style of a studio apartment. The exposures were infrasound ( ∼ 90 dB pk), sham infrasound (same speakers not generating infrasound), and traffic noise exposure [active control; at a sound pressure level of 40-50 dB LAeq,night and 70 dB LAFmax transient maxima, night (2200 to 0700 hours)]. The following physiological and psychological measures and systems were tested for their sensitivity to infrasound: wake after sleep onset (WASO; primary outcome) and other measures of sleep physiology, wake electroencephalography, WTS symptoms, cardiovascular physiology, and neurobehavioral performance. RESULTS: We randomized 37 noise-sensitive but otherwise healthy adults (18-72 years of age; 51% female) into the study before a COVID19-related public health order forced the study to close. WASO was not affected by infrasound compared with sham infrasound ( - 1.36 min; 95% CI: - 6.60 , 3.88, p = 0.60 ) but was worsened by the active control traffic exposure compared with sham by 6.07 min (95% CI: 0.75, 11.39, p = 0.02 ). Infrasound did not worsen any subjective or objective measures used. DISCUSSION: Our findings did not support the idea that infrasound causes WTS. High level, but inaudible, infrasound did not appear to perturb any physiological or psychological measure tested in these study participants. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10757.
AB - BACKGROUND: Large electricity-generating wind turbines emit both audible sound and inaudible infrasound at very low frequencies that are outside of the normal human range of hearing. Sufferers of wind turbine syndrome (WTS) have attributed their ill-health and particularly their sleep disturbance to the signature pattern of infrasound. Critics have argued that these symptoms are psychological in origin and are attributable to nocebo effects.OBJECTIVES: We aimed to test the effects of 72 h of infrasound (1.6-20 Hz at a sound level of ∼ 90 dB pk re 20 μ Pa , simulating a wind turbine infrasound signature) exposure on human physiology, particularly sleep. METHODS: We conducted a randomized double-blind triple-arm crossover laboratory-based study of 72 h exposure with a > 10 -d washout conducted in a noise-insulated sleep laboratory in the style of a studio apartment. The exposures were infrasound ( ∼ 90 dB pk), sham infrasound (same speakers not generating infrasound), and traffic noise exposure [active control; at a sound pressure level of 40-50 dB LAeq,night and 70 dB LAFmax transient maxima, night (2200 to 0700 hours)]. The following physiological and psychological measures and systems were tested for their sensitivity to infrasound: wake after sleep onset (WASO; primary outcome) and other measures of sleep physiology, wake electroencephalography, WTS symptoms, cardiovascular physiology, and neurobehavioral performance. RESULTS: We randomized 37 noise-sensitive but otherwise healthy adults (18-72 years of age; 51% female) into the study before a COVID19-related public health order forced the study to close. WASO was not affected by infrasound compared with sham infrasound ( - 1.36 min; 95% CI: - 6.60 , 3.88, p = 0.60 ) but was worsened by the active control traffic exposure compared with sham by 6.07 min (95% CI: 0.75, 11.39, p = 0.02 ). Infrasound did not worsen any subjective or objective measures used. DISCUSSION: Our findings did not support the idea that infrasound causes WTS. High level, but inaudible, infrasound did not appear to perturb any physiological or psychological measure tested in these study participants. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10757.
UR - https://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1113615
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85150762620&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1289/EHP10757
DO - 10.1289/EHP10757
M3 - Article
C2 - 36946580
SN - 0091-6765
VL - 131
SP - 037012-1-037012-12
JO - Environmental Health Perspectives
JF - Environmental Health Perspectives
IS - 3
M1 - 037012
ER -