We are writing to express concerns about the health effects from the placement of industrial wind turbines adjacent the residential areas on the shoreline of Pigeon Bay in Kingsville, Union and Leamington and requesting the Ontario Ministry of Health conduct epidemiological studies prior to construction.

We are writing to express concerns about the health effects from the placement of industrial wind turbines adjacent the residential areas on the shoreline of Pigeon Bay in Kingsville, Union and Leamington and requesting the Ontario Ministry of Health conduct epidemiological studies prior to construction.

One main concern is noise pollution. Sound carries over water farther than over land and can be amplified over water. How many decibels will this project generate and what are the safety standards in Ontario for low-frequency sounds?

Another concern is the "shadow flicker" -- the strobe effect that occurs as the sun rises or sets behind spinning blades. The effect is like someone turning lights off and on while you are reading. How often will residents be subject to shadow flickers.

Finally, a serious potential health risk from the installation of proposed large-scale turbines is the disruption to lake-bed sediments beside the water intake of the Union Water System. The western basin of Lake Erie has been for 150 years the depository of heavy metals as well as a other industrial contaminants.

When concrete bases are embedded into underlying limestone, the toxins disturbed will be released into the water.

There are too many unknowns regarding health with the Pigeon Bay project. We ask the ministries of health and environment conduct detailed studies to address these concerns before subjecting citizens to the potential deleterious health effects from large- scale industrial wind energy projects in our community.

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