The Health Effects of 72 Hours of Simulated Wind Turbine Infrasound: A Double-Blind Randomized Crossover Study in Noise-Sensitive, Healthy Adults

Abstract

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 $\sim 90$ dB pk re $20\mu \mathrm{Pa}$, 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 $>10\text{-d}$ washout conducted in a noise-insulated sleep laboratory in the style of a studio apartment. The exposures were infrasound ($\sim 90$ dB pk), sham infrasound (same speakers not generating infrasound), and traffic noise exposure [active control; at a sound pressure level of 40-50 dB ${\mathrm{LA}}_{\text{eq,night}}$ and 70 dB ${\mathrm{LAF}}_{\text{max}}$ 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.