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County board says wind power may be bad for your health Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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STACEY: NEW AT 10:00, A CENTRAL IOWA COUNTY’S HEALTH BOARD IS RECOMMENDING NEW RESTRICTIONS ON WIND TURBINES SAYING THERE’S A POTENTIAL HEALTH HAZARD. KCCI’S CHRIS GOTHNER IS COVERING MADISON COUNTY TONIGHT, HE EXPLAINS WHY IT’S A CONTROVERSIAL CONCLUSION CHRIS WIND TURBINES CURRENTLY : DOT THIS STRETCH OF SOUTHWESTERN MADISON COUNTY BUT PLANS BY MIDAMERICAN ENERGY TO BUILD MORE OF THEM OUTSIDE WINTERSET HAVE BEEN MET WITH RESISTANCE FROM SOME LANDOWNERS WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT PROPERTY VALUES, NOISE AND HEALTH. A RECOMMENDATION THIS MONTH BY THE COUNTY’S BOARD OF HEALTH COULD LEND OPPONENTS SOME AMMO. IT SUGGESTED DISALLOWING NEW TURBINES WITHIN A MILE AND A HALF OF NON-PARTICIPATING HOMES, CITING POTENTIAL NEGATIVE HEALTH EFFECTS. >> THE PREPONDERANCE OF THE EVIDENCE WAS ON THE SIDE OF WE OUGHT TO EXERCISE SOME CAUTION. CHRIS BOARD CHAIR DOCTOR KEVIN : DE REGNIER SAYS SOME STUDIES SHOW POTENTIAL ISSUES WITH LOW-FREQUENCY INFRASOUND AND SHADOW FLICKER CAUSED BY ROTATING BLADES, CAUSING SLEEP DISTURBANCES. >> PATIENTS, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT HAVE SLEEP APNEA CAN HAVE SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS LIKE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND INCREASED CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. CHRIS UNIVERSITY OF IOWA : PROFESSOR PETER THORNE WORKED WITH THE IOWA ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL TO RESEARCH THE EFFECTS. >> MY VIEW IS THAT THERE’S NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT SUCH A LARGE SETBACK. CHRIS HE SAYS THERE HAVE BEEN : VERY FEW HIGH-QUALITY STUDIES DONE AND NONE OF THEM HAVE FOUND DEFINITIVE LINKS TO HEALTH PROBLEMS. THORNE SAYS WHAT STUDIES HAVE FOUND IS AN ANNOYANCE OF WIND TURBINES. >> IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE LOOKS OF A WIND TURBINE AND EVERY TIME YOU LOOK AT IT IT ANNOYS YOU THAT CAN HAVE IMPACT ON YOUR WELL-BEING. CHRIS MIDAMERICAN SPOKESPERSON : GEOFF GREENWOOD SAYS THE COMPANY’S PROVIDED THE COUNTY WITH AMPLE EVIDENCE THAT ITS OPERATIONS ARE SAFE. >> IT’S REALLY DESIGNED TO THROW SAND IN THE GEARS OF A POTENTIAL WIND FARM. IT WOULD STOP IT IN ITS TRACKS, AND WE THINK SOME OPPONENTS ARE USING SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO DO EXACTLY THAT. >> WE THINK THAT OUR RECORD SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. CHRIS NOW YOU MIGHT REMEMBER : PRESIDENT TRUMP FALSELY CLAIMING EARLIER THIS YEAR THAT WIND TURBINES CAUSE CANCER. ALL SIDES AGREE HERE THAT THERE’S ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE OF THAT. IT’S NOW UP TO COUNTY SUPERVISORS WHETHER TO IMPLEMENT THE HEALTH BOARD'