Self-reported and objectively measured health indicators among a sample of Canadians living within the vicinity of industrial wind turbines: Social survey and sound level modelling methodology

In Canada, all levels of government share jurisdiction for regulating sound that could be harmful to Canadians. The location of wind turbines and associated sound level limits fall under the jurisdiction of provincial governments. As of October 2013, Canada’s installed capacity has surpassed 7 Gigawatts (Canadian Wind Energy Association, 2013). At the same time there is public concern for potential health impacts, which include disrupted sleep from exposure to wind turbine sound (WTS). The possible association between WTS and impairments in sleep quality has been reported in the peer reviewed literature (Pedersen and Waye, 2004; Pedersen et al., 2009; Shepherd, 2011; Nissenbaum et al., 2012). However, these studies have relied exclusively upon self-reporting as a means of assessing sleep and other community reactions to WTS. There is an inherent bias associated with self-reported data in environmental epidemiology studies (Moffatt, 2000; Smith-Sivertsen, 2000), which in some cases, makes it especially important to supplement these data with other measures. To date, there has been no study that has included objective measures of sleep disturbance, noise-induced stress or other biological markers to evaluate the potential effect on individuals that live near wind turbines.