50여기의 풍차가 설치되어 풍력발전소를 운영하고 있는 일본의 에히메(愛媛) 현의 이카타(伊方) 마을 주민들이 두통과 이명(耳鳴), 어지럼증을 호소하고 있다는 소식(아래 뉴스 참조)을 듣고 풍력발전소가 인간과 동물의 건강에 끼치는 영향에 대해서 자료를 찾아보았습니다.
허전압(Stray Voltage)에 의한 인간과 동물의 건강상 위해에 대해서는 많은 연구가 이루어지지 않은 상황이라고 하는데요… 풍력발전을 위한 풍차 터빈이 설치된 젖소 농장에서 암이 발생하고, 우유 생산량이 줄어들고, 수면장애, 두통, 설사, 빈뇨, 배란 장애, 코피 등의 증상이 나타났다는 보고가 있습니다.
친환경 녹색성장이라는 홍보문구에 가려진 풍력발전의 어두운 면에 대해 좀 더 많은 연구와 관심을 기울여야 할 것 같습니다.
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Health Effects of Wind Power Generation
출처 : http://wind.netwny.com/issues/health_risks_of_wind_power.html
There are a variety of potential health risks to community members when large scale wind projects are installed. These risks are inherent and many of them simply can’t be mitigated.
Health Risks Due to Stray Voltage
The effects of stray voltage on humans and other living animals has not been well studied but anecdotal evidence indicates and common sense indicate that being around intense electro-magnetic fields for long periods of time could not be good for ones health or the health of livestock and other animals. According to a post installation survey of industrial wind turbines in Lincoln Township WI, at least four farms are fighting herd decline due to diseases that weren’t present prior to the installation of the wind power facility. One farmer – Scott Srnka, who was initially in favour of the wind project in Lincoln Township said to the Town Board:
“Thirteen turbines were proposed for my land, but we decided to wait. Thank goodness we did or we’d be out of farming.” (Source: Excerpts from the Final Report of the Township of Lincoln – WIND TURBINE MORATORIUM COMMITTEE)
And from the same report:
“Within a few months in the first year after the turbines were erected, 8 cows died of cancer. No previous cases of cancer were detected ever before in the Srnka herd, which is a closed herd, according to Mr. Srnka.” (Mr. Srnka’s dairy herd was previously an award winning herd)
“Mr. Srnka has traced the decline of milk production and increase of cancer and deformities in his formerly award-winning herd to an increase of electrical pollution on his farm after turbine construction. He also has seen the same chronic symptoms that are in his herd in his family.”
These symptoms include
- sleep loss
- diarrhea
- headaches
- frequent urination
- menstrual problems
- bloody noses: Mr. Srnka had cows bleed to death from uncontrollable bleeding from the nostrils
- inability to conceive
The risk of stray voltage from the wind turbines in Lincoln Township is causing people to rethink their plans to have children. This risk can be mitigated with thorough analysis of the electrical system associated with the wind turbines but to date, nothing has been done.
Flicker Induced Health Risks
There are two distinct type of flicker associated with wind turbines. Shadow flicker arises as the shadow of the moving turbine blades moves across the ground. This type of flicker is most common when the sun is at a low angle in the sky, such as mornings and evenings in the summer and just about any time in the winter. These shadows can extend great distances from the base of the turbine, particularly when the shadow is downhill from the turbines such as would be the case in Ripley and Westfield. The second typ of flicker that can arise from wind turbins is strobing. Strobing occurs when turbine blades catche the sun and reflect it back towards the viewer. Since a turbine blade will be in the position where this reflection takes place up to 60 times per minute (20RPM X 3 blades) the effect is like a strobe light. Strobing can occur at any time of day and can happen anywhere the turbines can be seen – especially from the south, east and west.
The most severe, though by no means the only health risk associated with shadow flicker and strobing is seizure. It is a known fact that flickering or strobing light can cause seizure in susceptible individuals. Other risks due to flicker and strobing include headache, loss of balance, nausea and disorientation. Having a seizure is a severe medical issue but if that seizure, or for that matter disorientation, were to take place while a person was driving a car or operating farm equipment, it could be devastating to that individual and family.
Mommy won’t be coming home because those things on the hill
caused a seizure and she crashed her car.
Industrial wind turbine flicker is also a general distraction. From the section of the Lincoln Township report inviting comments about shadows from the blades: “They catch my eye and I look at them instead of the road. They are dangerous.”
Noise Induced Health Risks
Potential health effects from constant exposure to noise run a wide gamut. At high levels, hearing loss can occur but constant exposure to noise at levels expected from industrial wind turbines would more likely result in anxiety, nervousness and a general lack of a sense of well being, – especially in those who are sensitive. Noise from wind turbines can also affect both the ability to sleep (e.g. not being able to fall asleep or waking during sleep) and sleep patterns (e.g. quality of sleep). A person whose sleep patterns are disrupted may sleep through the night yet not feel rested in the morning. This can pose dangers in the operation of cars and equipment.
Low Frequency Noise Induced Health Risks
Low frequency noise was used as an instrument of torture by the Germans during World War II. This type of noise is inaudible yet its presence can cause emotional problems even stronger than audible noise. Symptoms of exposure to low frequency noise include severe anxiety, nervousness, migraines, dizziness and sleep problems.. The problem here is that there is nothing that can be readily identified as the source of the anxiety without specialized test equipment. The article Wind farms ‘make people sick who live up to a mile away’ from the Daily Telegraph describes the impact of low frequency noise on residents near an industrial wind power installation. According to Dr. Amanda Harry, the researcher who looked into this effect, of 14 people that lived near the industrial wind power facility, only 1 was unaffected.
Industrial Wind Power is a danger to the health and well being of this community.
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역풍 맞은 日풍력…발전 지역 주민들 두통-이명 호소
새와 충돌사고로 발전량 들쑥날쑥
출처 : 동아사이언스 2009년 08월 04일
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대표적인 클린에너지로 각광받아온 풍력발전이 일본에서 뜻하지 않은 역풍을 맞고 있다. 풍력발전 설치 지역에서 두통과 이명(耳鳴), 어지럼증을 호소하는 주민이 늘고 있다. 새가 풍차에 부딪히는 사고가 잦은 데다 풍량에 따라 들쑥날쑥한 발전량도 풍력발전의 골칫거리다.
50여 기의 풍차를 설치해 풍차마을로 유명한 에히메(愛媛) 현의 이카타(伊方) 마을. 이 지역 주민들은 발전소가 가동된 지 1년이 지나면서 두통과 어지럼증을 호소하는 사람이 늘었다. 지역주민들은 풍차에서 멀리 떨어질수록 증상이 덜하다는 것을 발견하고 발전소 운영회사에 야간운행 정지를 요청해 풍차를 멈춰 세웠다. 피해 지역은 이곳뿐만이 아니다. 아이치(愛知) 현, 시즈오카(靜岡) 현, 효고(兵庫) 현 등 풍차를 설치한 전국 지방자치단체로 확산되고 있다. 피해를 보았다고 주장하는 지자체가 잇따르자 아예 가동을 보류하는 회사도 나왔다. 일본 중부전력은 당초 올 2월이었던 운행 개시 시기를 2012년으로 늦췄다.
피해 증상의 원인은 아직 명확하게 밝혀진 게 없다. 학자들은 풍차가 돌아갈 때 발생하는 저주파음이 어지럼증 등을 유발하는 것으로 추정하는 정도다. 이 때문에 지역주민과 발전소 운영회사 간의 다툼으로 번지는 일이 생기자 일본 정부가 팔을 걷고 나섰다. 환경성에서 민원이 발생한 전 지자체를 대상으로 현지조사를 하기로 한 것이다. 환경성은 각 지역의 저주파음과 소음을 측정하고 풍차가 많이 설치된 해외사례를 수집해 인과관계를 밝혀 풍차와 거주지역의 적절한 거리를 제시한다는 방침이다.
바람세기에 따라 발전량이 좌우돼 전력 생산량이 일정하지 않은 점도 문제다. 풍력발전 운영회사들은 풍차를 돌려 생산한 전력을 전력회사에 파는데 안정적인 전력 공급이 여의치 않자 전력회사가 전력 구매를 꺼리는 일도 잦다. 이와 함께 잦은 조류 충돌사고는 또 다른 환경피해로 이어지고 있다. 풍차는 바람의 흐름 경로에 따라 세워지는데 기류를 따라 먹이를 쫓는 새가 풍차에 부딪히는 사고가 심심찮게 일어난다.
일본 지자체들은 최근 10년간 친환경이라는 상징성과 풍차가 주는 목가적 이미지를 활용해 앞 다퉈 풍력발전을 도입했다. 1980년 일본에 처음 도입된 풍력발전은 3월 말 현재 1500기를 넘어섰다. 풍력발전의 발전용량도 186만 kW로 2000년보다 13배 급증했다.
도쿄=김창원 동아일보 특파원 changkim@donga.com
