Wind Turbine Syndrome: A Communicated Disease
Simon Chapman and Fiona Crichton
Sydney University Press
ISBN: 9781743324967

As governments around the world look for ways to curb fossil fuel emissions, more and more countries are adopting renewable energy sources. Wind power is one of the cheapest sources of renewable energy, and windfarms are often looked to as a solution.

While generally welcomed in rural communities, there have been claims that wind turbines are responsible for a range of health problems. At last count an astonishing 247 symptoms had been attributed to wind turbines, from back pain and accelerated ageing to herpes and multiple sclerosis. Repeated reviews of the scientific evidence have found no grounds for these claims, yet they have continued to spread in some communities. Wind turbine syndrome shows all the hallmarks of a communicated disease: that is, an illness that is spread by people talking and writing write about it. In short: people are worrying themselves sick.

In Wind Turbine Syndrome: A Communicated Disease, Simon Chapman and Fiona Crichton explore the claims and tactics of the anti-windfarm movement, examine the scientific evidence, and consider how best to respond to anti-windfarm arguments. This is an eye-opening account of the rise of the anti-windfarm movement, and a timely call for a more evidence-based approach.

About the authors
Simon Chapman is professor emeritus of public health at the University of Sydney. In 2013 he was made an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) for his contributions to public health. Fiona Crichton recently completed her PhD in psychological medicine at the University of Auckland.

To purchase a copy of Wind Turbine Syndrome: A Communicated Disease please visit the SUP site: http://purl.library.usyd.edu.au/sup/9781743324967.