Wind turbines cause cancer

Wind turbines cause cancer
	FALSE
	"Noise or low-frequency sound from wind turbines causes cancer and a range of other serious illnesses in people living nearby."
Domain	Science & Environment
Tactic	Pseudoscience / Junk Science;
Era	Current
First seen	2009
Origin	Claims of "wind turbine syndrome" from 2009; the specific cancer claim was given wide publicity in public remarks by President Donald Trump in April 2019
Last reviewed	2026-10-26
	Further reading: books on Science & Environment

The claim that wind turbines cause cancer gained wide attention in April 2019, when US President Donald Trump said at a political fundraising dinner that noise from wind turbines causes cancer. The claim built on earlier assertions about a so-called "wind turbine syndrome," a collection of symptoms said to be caused by living near turbines. Scientific reviews and large studies have found no evidence that wind turbines cause cancer. Some people living near turbines report annoyance and sleep disturbance, which researchers take seriously, but these are not evidence of cancer or other serious disease.

The claim

In remarks to the National Republican Congressional Committee on 2 April 2019, Trump said that if people had a windmill anywhere near their house, the noise would cause cancer. The comment was widely reported and criticized. It echoed older claims that sound or vibration from turbines, particularly low-frequency sound and infrasound, which is below the range of human hearing, causes a range of illnesses.

Origin

As wind farms expanded in the 2000s, some nearby residents reported symptoms including headaches, sleep problems, dizziness, nausea, ringing in the ears and anxiety. In 2009, the American pediatrician Nina Pierpont self-published a book, Wind Turbine Syndrome, based on interviews with 38 people in families living near turbines. The study had no control group, and participants were recruited through anti-wind groups, making it impossible to distinguish effects of the turbines from other causes or from expectation. Other writers and campaign groups expanded the list of alleged effects, eventually including cancer.

What the evidence shows

Multiple reviews and studies have examined the health effects of wind turbines:

A 2012 independent expert panel commissioned by the Massachusetts Departments of Environmental Protection and Public Health found no evidence of a set of health effects that could be characterized as a "wind turbine syndrome," and no evidence that infrasound from turbines directly causes health problems.
A large 2014 study by Health Canada, which measured noise and surveyed and examined more than 1,200 households living at varying distances from turbines, found no association between turbine noise and self-reported illnesses or chronic diseases, nor with measured stress hormones, blood pressure or sleep patterns. It did find that annoyance increased with turbine noise levels.
Reviews by public-health agencies in Australia and elsewhere reached similar conclusions, finding no consistent evidence that wind turbines directly cause adverse health effects, while noting that noise can cause annoyance and, for some, sleep disturbance.

Infrasound is produced by many natural and man-made sources, including wind, ocean waves, traffic and the human body itself. Infrasound levels near wind turbines are generally comparable to those in ordinary environments and far below levels known to affect people. There is no known biological mechanism by which turbine sound could cause cancer.

Researchers have also found evidence of a "nocebo" effect, in which expectations of harm produce real symptoms. In experiments in New Zealand, people who were told that infrasound was harmful and then exposed to recorded turbine sound, or to silence, reported more symptoms than those who were not warned, regardless of whether infrasound was actually present.

What is real

Noise from wind turbines can be annoying, particularly the rhythmic "swishing" of the blades, and some residents report that it disrupts sleep. Visual effects, such as shadow flicker when blades pass in front of the sun, can also bother people. These concerns are addressed through rules on setbacks, noise limits and operating restrictions. They are legitimate issues in planning and community relations, but they are distinct from the claim that turbines cause cancer.

Lessons for readers

Ask whether a study had a control group. Without one, it cannot show what caused the symptoms people report.
A plausible-sounding mechanism, such as "infrasound," is not evidence. Look for measurements and comparisons.
Expectations can produce real symptoms. That does not mean the symptoms are imagined, only that the cause may be different from what people think.
Real but limited concerns, such as noise annoyance, should not be inflated into claims of serious disease.

Sources

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Public Health, Wind Turbine Health Impact Study: Report of Independent Expert Panel (2012).
Health Canada, Wind Turbine Noise and Health Study: Summary of Results (2014).
Fiona Crichton et al., "Can Expectations Produce Symptoms From Infrasound Associated With Wind Turbines?" Health Psychology 33, no. 4 (2014).
National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia), NHMRC Statement: Evidence on Wind Farms and Human Health (2015).
Reporting on President Trump's remarks to the National Republican Congressional Committee, 2 April 2019, by the Associated Press and others.