Research on the Impacts of Wind Turbine Noise on Humans: sound, perception, health – RIBEolh

To address these objectives, RIBEolh is based on a methodology structured in two complementary parts. A first phase is based on the implementation of an epidemiological study to better understand and quantify the health effects of noise emitted by wind turbines. The second phase is based on a psychoacoustic and physiological study, conducted under controlled conditions, to understand the auditory mechanisms associated with annoyance caused by IS and LFS emitted by wind turbines. The epidemiological study will include about 1200 residents around wind farms in France. Information concerning their health status will be obtained by means of a questionnaire (sleep disturbances, hypertension, psychological disorders, stress and annoyance in particular), and by measuring body movements during sleep, blood pressure, heart rate and cortisol concentration (stress marker). The exposure of participants to audible noise, in particular LFS, but also to IS, emitted by wind turbines, will be estimated using noise prediction engineering models. Acoustic measurements will be made to validate the model used. The psychoacoustic and physiological study will consist in carrying out psychoacoustic and physiological measurements in a controlled environment using signals measured and synthesized by a physical model for different operating conditions of wind turbines. The psychoacoustic work will focus on loudness and auditory sensations related to amplitude modulations in order to understand their relationship with annoyance. Finally, physiological measurements of cochleovestibular responses will be performed in participants submitted to IS to test the hypothese that non-audible IS may affect hearing and/or balance.

The RIBEolH project will advance knowledge of the health effects of audible noise, in particular LFS, but also IS, emitted by wind turbines, as well as how they are perceived. As the first French collaborative research project on the perception and health effects of wind turbine noise, RIBEolH will fill a gap in French research compared to international research in this field. At the international level, the epidemiological results will complement those of the few studies on health effects other than annoyance, and will make it possible to constitute a reference data set. Beyond wind turbine noise, the results on the perception of IS and LFS will allow progress in the knowledge of the perception or annoyance processes concerning these frequencies whatever the type of noise, and the physiological mechanisms in the inner ear at the origin of their perception.

The RIBEolH project will contribute to the development of these renewable energies in a controlled way and in the respect of the exposed populations.

1. Ecotière D, Demizieux P, Guillaume G, Giorgis-Allemand L, Evrard AS. Quantification of sound exposure from wind turbines in France.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, 23 (2022).
2. Evrard AS, Ecotière D, Demizieux P, Giorgis-Allemand L, Guillaume G. Exposition de la population au bruit émis par les éoliennes en France métropolitaine. Environnement, Risques et Santé, In press (2022).
3. Evrard AS, Avan P, Champelovier P, Cotté B, Écotière D, Gauvreau B, Giorgis-Allemand L, Marquis-Favre C, Meunier S. Research on the impacts of wind turbine noise on humans: sound, perception, health (RIBEolH). 13th International Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem organized by the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Noise (ICBEN). Stockholm (Suède), Juin 2021.
4. Evrard AS, Avan P, Champelovier P, Cotté B, Écotière D, Gauvreau B, Giorgis-Allemand L, Marquis-Favre C, Meunier S. Recherche des Impacts du Bruit ÉOLien sur l'Humain : son, perception, santé (RIBEolH). 16ème Congrès Français d’Acoustique. Marseille (France), Avril 2022.
5. Ecotière D, Demizieux P, Guillaume G, Giorgis-Allemand L, Evrard AS. Evaluation de l’exposition de la population de France métropolitaine au bruit des éoliennes. 16ème Congrès Français d’Acoustique. Marseille (France), Avril 2022.
6. Pachebat M, Chatron J, Cote R, Friot E, Herzog P, Meunier S et Rabau G. Une cabine acoustique pour la restitution contrôlée des basses et très basses fréquences (3Hz-300Hz) : qualification, identification acoustique et premier exemple de contrôle, 16ème Congrès Français d’Acoustique. Marseille (France), Avril 2022.
7. Evrard AS, Écotière D. Noise emissions from wind turbines and human health: what is the impact? Conférence «Émissions des projets éoliens terrestres : balisage nocturne, impact sonore et radars« de l’Office franco-allemand pour la transition énergétique, 9 mars 2022.
8. Evrard AS, Giorgis-Allemand L, Champelovier P, Écotière D, Gauvreau B, Marquis-Favre C, Meunier S, Cotté B et Avan P.
RIBEolh : Recherche des impacts du bruit éolien sur l’humain : son, perception, santé. Séminaire du projet fédérateur «Infrastructures et Transition Energétique« de l'Ifsttar. Marne-la-Vallée (France), 26 novembre 2019.

Wind energy is expanding rapidly in France as elsewhere in the world, but the population is worried about the health impacts of wind turbine noise and some people are more annoyed than the sound field measurements would suggest. The annoyance is often described as resulting from infrasounds (IS) whereas the acoustic pressures of IS emitted by wind turbines would be below the perception thresholds. However, the inaudibility of IS does not exclude their action on the inner ear or the central nervous system.
The WHO guidelines on environmental noise published in October 2018 highlight that evidence on the health effects of noise from wind turbines is either non-existent or of poor quality.
In this context, the objectives of RIBEolh are:
- To assess the health effects of audible noise, in particular low-frequency sounds (LFS), but also IS, emitted by wind turbines.
- To better understand the auditory mechanisms associated with the perception of IS and LFS emitted by wind turbines, and more particularly the sensations related to sound intensity (loudness) and to amplitude modulations, and their link with annoyance.
- To better understand the effects of IS on the inner ear or central nervous system, which may explain certain symptoms sometimes described by subjects exposed to IS and who complain about them.
To address these objectives, RIBEolh is based on a methodology structured in two complementary parts. A first phase is based on the implementation of an epidemiological study to better understand and quantify the health effects of noise emitted by wind turbines. The second phase is based on a psychoacoustic and physiological study, conducted under controlled conditions, to understand the auditory mechanisms associated with annoyance caused by IS and LFS emitted by wind turbines. The epidemiological study will include about 1200 residents around wind farms in France. Information concerning their health status will be obtained by means of a questionnaire (sleep disturbances, hypertension, psychological disorders, stress and annoyance in particular), and by measuring body movements during sleep, blood pressure, heart rate and cortisol concentration (stress marker). The exposure of participants to audible noise, in particular LFS, but also to IS, emitted by wind turbines, will be estimated using noise prediction engineering models. Acoustic measurements will be made to validate the model used. The psychoacoustic and physiological study will consist in carrying out psychoacoustic and physiological measurements in a controlled environment using signals measured and synthesized by a physical model for different operating conditions of wind turbines. The psychoacoustic work will focus on loudness and auditory sensations related to amplitude modulations in order to understand their relationship with annoyance. Finally, physiological measurements of cochleovestibular responses will be performed in participants submitted to IS to test the hypothese that non-audible IS may affect hearing and/or balance.
RIBEolh will advance knowledge of the health effects of audible noise, in particular LFS, but also IS, emitted by wind turbines, and how they are felt. Epidemiological results will complement the very few studies in this area. Beyond the noise of wind turbines, the results on the perception of IS and LFS will make it possible to improve our knowledge of the processes of perception or annoyance concerning these frequencies, whatever the type of noise, and of the physiological mechanisms in the inner ear that induce their perception.