The fight to keep wind farms out of southern Lambton County gathered ammunition this week with the release of a survey that found some people who live near the big turbines suffer serious health problems.

Fifty-three of 76 residents surveyed, primarily in the Kincardine area, said they suffer from headaches, sleep disturbance and depression. They said the wind turbines are having a significant negative impact on their lives.

The survey should grab the attention of government lawmakers, says Ann Towell, a resident in Dawn-Euphemia opposing a 35-turbine wind farm proposed for her township.

She's also a member of Wind Concerns Ontario, the organization that conducted the survey.

"Our group decided it was time to do something to get data that will get the government to listen to us," Towell said.

Wind Concerns Ontario is pushing for a formal epidemiological health study on wind turbines before more projects go ahead.

Dr. Robert McMurtry, the former dean of medicine at the University of Western Ontario, headed up the survey and calculated the average distance from the turbines to a house is 780 metres, although some are much closer.

Current Ministry of Environment guidelines say the setback from a house should be 400 metres.

Some people living near wind turbines reported constant vibrations in their homes and a loss of cognitive abilities due to lack of sleep.

"These results will definitely make a difference," said Towell. "We're already getting so much press."

Hundreds of Dawn-Euphemia residents attended meetings last year to oppose a project by IPC Energy and Sydenham Energy Corporation that would produce about 70 megawatts of power.

Their argument convinced township council, said Mayor Bill Bilton. "We listened to our ratepayers."

Council placed a moratorium on all wind turbine projects until concrete data is available on their health effects.

Dawn-Euphemia was also the first municipality to call on the province to do a comprehensive health study. Another 29 municipalities have since followed suit.

Last week, Bilton said he was in London to speak at a hearing about Ontario's new Green Energy Act and its reliance on energy from wind.

"I told the hearing that if they are going to have turbines, to get it right," Bilton said.

"I told them to do the research to find out what the setbacks should be."

Some respondents to the survey said they have been forced to leave their homes because of health concerns, Towell said.

"If they continue to put wind turbines across southwestern Ontario, we're going to depopulate rural Ontario," she said. "I heard one woman say that living 400 metres from one is like living in a washing machine."

Towell praised her local council for taking a strong stand until a health study is done. "People in Europe, where they've got much larger wind farm, are fighting for the same thing. They want setbacks of several kilometres," she said.