Does Stochastic and Modulated Wind Turbine Infrasound Affect Human Mental Performance Compared to Steady Signals without Modulation? Results of a Pilot Study

Paweł Małecki; Małgorzata Pawlaczyk-Łuszczyńska; Tadeusz Wszołek; Anna Preis; Maciej Kłaczyński; Adam Dudarewicz; Paweł Pawlik; Bartłomiej Stępień; Dominik Mleczko

doi:10.3390/ijerph20032223

Does Stochastic and Modulated Wind Turbine Infrasound Affect Human Mental Performance Compared to Steady Signals without Modulation? Results of a Pilot Study

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan 26;20(3):2223. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20032223.

Authors

Paweł Małecki¹, Małgorzata Pawlaczyk-Łuszczyńska², Tadeusz Wszołek¹, Anna Preis³, Maciej Kłaczyński¹, Adam Dudarewicz², Paweł Pawlik¹, Bartłomiej Stępień¹, Dominik Mleczko¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanics and Vibroacoustics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, AGH University of Science and Technology, 30-059 Krakow, Poland.
² Department of Vibroacoustic Hazards, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, 91-348 Lodz, Poland.
³ Institute of Acoustics, Faculty of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University, 61-712 Poznan, Poland.

Abstract

Wind turbines (WT) are a specific type of noise source, with unique characteristics, such as amplitude modulation (AM) and tonality, infrasonic and low frequency (LF) components. The present study investigates the influence of wind turbine infrasound and low frequency noise (LFN) on human well-being. In the between-subjects study design, 129 students performed a cognitive test evaluating attention and filled out questionnaires in three various exposure conditions, including background noise, synthesized LFN (reference noise) and registered WT infrasound (stimulus). No significant differences in test results or in the number of reported post-exposure feelings and ailments in various exposure conditions were found when analyzing them in males and females, separately. However, a significant association between pre-exposure well-being and reported post-exposure complaints was noted and explained by in-depth statistical analysis.

Keywords: effects on humans; infrasound; infrasound playback; low-frequency noise; wind turbine.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Emotions
Female
Humans
Male
Noise* / adverse effects
Pilot Projects
Power Plants*

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014–2021, grant number NOR/POLNOR/Hetman/0073/2019 and by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, grant number 16.16.130.942.