noise&nuisance”&and&known& … · “noise&nuisance”&and&known&...
TRANSCRIPT
“Noise Nuisance” and known Adverse Health Effects from Open
Cycle Gas Turbines Public meeBng called by NSW NaBonal
Farmers FederaBon at Wellington RSL 19th March, 2015 re
ERM’s Wellington Gas Fired Power StaBon
QualificaBons and ExperBse
Currently Chief Execu1ve Officer, Waubra Founda1on Former Rural General PracBBoner, South Australia Former Fellow Royal Australian College of GP’s Former Fellow Australian College Remote and Rural Medicine Almost five years working full Bme (pro bono) for the
Waubra Founda1on, focus on impacts of excessive industrial infrasound and low frequency noise from a range of noise sources in mostly rural environments
Expert Witness in Court Cases in Canada and Australia Invited Witness to Federal Parliamentary Inquiries Invited by President of the American Acous1cal Society to
present paper to their annual conference in May 2015
Waubra FoundaBon ObjecBves
“To promote human health and well being through the preven5on and control of diseases and other adverse health effects due to industrial sound and vibra5on”
In other words, safe siBng of industrial noise pollu1ng projects, and effecBve noise polluBon regulaBon and enforcement, to prevent noise related health problems
AcousBc Terminology
What is Infrasound? sound energy 0 – 20 Hz, oRen inaudible but can be felt as pressure, or pulsing, eg the “bea1ng” sensed when driving in a car with back windows down
What is Low Frequency Noise?
intrusive audible sound energy 20 – 200 Hz, (eg music from Jaws – intrusive, disturbing)
What “noise” do Open Cycle Gas Turbines emit (as well as dBA)?
• Infrasound (inaudible but s1ll percep1ble) • Low frequency noise Infrasound and low frequency noise (ILFN) are very penetra1ng, and pass through walls. Worse on cold frosty nights (temperature inversion) and travel longer distances than higher frequencies.
Excessive ILFN can disturb sleep. Neither are measured accurately using dBA filter
What does “noise annoyance” mean with respect to low frequency noise? Professor Geoff Leventhall – Australian Na1onal Health and Medical Research Council Workshop June 2011 (UK expert on effects of Low Frequency Noise)
Symptoms of “noise annoyance” include • insomnia; headache; pressure in the ears or head; • Dizziness; nausea; • eye strain; faBgue; distracBon; • nose bleeds; • feeling vibraBon; muscle spasms; • palpitaBons; skin burning; stress; tension
Known Adverse Health Effects from Excessive Environmental Noise
From “Health Effects from Environmental Noise, other than Hearing Loss” En Health, 2004
• Sleep disturbance • Neurophysiological stress • Cardiovascular disease • Mental health problems • Effects on children’s learning • Annoyance and reduced quality of life
Do People “get used to” ILFN?
• No they do not “get used to” ILFN • Professor Geoffrey Leventhall (2003, DEFRA report) noted that chronic ongoing exposure when people become “sensi1sed” to ILFN means they get worse, not becer, and over 1me they are impacted by lower doses.
• Either the people need to move, or the noise source needs to be turned off for their health to improve.
What has ERM disclosed about sound emissions below 200 Hz?
ERM has not disclosed the full spectrum of sound emissions from their new “quieter” gas turbines
Manufacturers are designing machinery to shiR the sound energy emissions to the lower (unmeasured and unregulated) ILFN frequencies, so “quieter” turbines can result in MORE infrasound and low frequency noise, NOT LESS. This can result in more “noise nuisance” for neighbours out to greater distances.
Why is sufficient good quality sleep important?
• Good quality and sufficient sleep is essenBal for maintenance of physical and mental health – accepted by all health authori1es, (including the World Health Organisa1on)
• night noise pollu1on regula1ons exist and are enforced in ci1es – to protect sleep
• Children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to excessive noise. Children especially need sufficient restoraBve sleep for growth, brain development and learning
UN Commidee Against Torture
“The Commi)ee against Torture (CAT) has noted that sleep depriva8on used for prolonged periods cons8tutes a breach of the CAT, and is primarily used to break down the will of the detainee. Sleep depriva5on can cause impaired memory and cogni5ve func5oning, decreased short term memory, speech impairment, hallucina5ons, psychosis, lowered immunity, headaches, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stress, anxiety and depression.”
A Special Case – Wellington CorrecBonal Facility
• If someone becomes especially sensi1ve to ILFN , they can become sleep deprived and develop other “noise annoyance” symptoms. The only way to obtain relief is to get away from the sound
• If they are in custody, they cannot escape from the adverse effects.
• Small rooms (eg jail cells) were known thirty years ago to be the worst for infrasound resona1ng within the building from gas turbines (Dr Neil Kelley et al, 1982). It has been described as like living within an acous1c “drum”.
How far out from the source do the impacts on health and sleep extend? ERM full spectrum sound emission data is required to be able to calculate the likely zone of impact and likely “dose” of sound energy
Infrasound is known to travel much greater distances than the audible component
Cold air (temperature inversions) and low cloud can increase the ”dose” people perceive of ILFN
ILFN from coal mining (fans and diesel machinery) and CSG compressors can be perceived and disturb sleep at least 10km away in quiet areas
Legal Terminology
What does “noise nuisance” mean? Legal defini1on of “nuisance”
“A source of annoyance, unpleasantness. In prac8ce a nuisance is oCen defined as the source of unpleasant or noxious smells, such as a tannery or rendering plant, or a source of excessive noise”
Australian Law Dic1onary
Legal Terminology cont.
Nuisance – Private vs Public “An ac5vity or state of affairs that interferes with the use or enjoyment of land or rights over land (private nuisance) or with the health, safety, or comfort of the public at large ( public nuisance)”
Australian Law Dic1onary
Australian Judgment re Noise Nuisance from an Open Cycle Gas Turbine
Snowy Hydro and Metroll (Victorian case) 2007 Open Cycle Gas Turbine emiing infrasound and low frequency noise directly caused noise annoyance symptoms for workers nearby including “headaches, earaches, nausea and other adverse health effects”
Snowy Hydro (part owned by NSW Govt) had to buy out the neighbours – no cost effec1ve engineering solu1on to stop the emissions
What happened at Uranquinty? (from Tom Sebo, the Goulburn Post, 2 July 2012)
“According to Minister Hodgkinson, the proponents, Origin Energy, reportedly paid millions of dollars in li1ga1on to the plant’s neighbours and forced up to 10 families to leave their proper1es.
“The only major difference between Uranquinty and Dalton is that the township of Uranquinty is located 2.4km from the power sta1on whilst the centre of the village of Dalton is 4km removed from the proposed site,” she said.
What happened at Uranquinty cont.? (Sebo quoBng Minister Hodgkinson’s address to the PAC)
• “The Department of Planning recommended the approval of Uranquinty sta1ng that it would meet the requirements of the New South Wales Industrial Noise Policy. It is obvious they got it wrong then.
• “The Department of Planning is making the same statement here, and even though they note the Uranquinty experience, the omission of any further men1on of Uranquinty from the MPA rings serious alarm bells.
Who Knows What Happened at Uranquinty?
NSW Department of Planning -‐ Senior Staff
Minister Pru Goward – current Planning Minister
Minister Katrina Hodgkinson (tried to prevent the same happening at Dalton at the PAC mee1ng)
Origin Energy
Acous1c consultants employed to sort out the mess at Uranquinty
The Uranquinty residents forced out of their homes
Why Were the Residents and the AcousBc Consultants Silenced?
The Uranquinty residents and acousBc consultants have been silenced with a non dislosure clause (gagged) because the noise polluter (Origin) and NSW government departments (Planning, Health and EPA) do not want the community to know about ILFN related adverse health impacts
It suits manufacturers, noise polluters / developers and governments to pretend excessive ILFN is not a serious and growing public health problem.
No one from Uranquinty is here to talk about what happened to them and their community because they could be sued for breach of contract if they do.
RecommendaBon of President Australian AcousBcal Society
Dr Norm Broner (in 2007) “Open Cycle Gas Turbines potenBally generate significant low frequency noise, so the 16 Hz band must also be considered as well. Overlooking the 16 Hz band energy may result in an unacceptable noise environment in which annoyance due to vibraBon radle, feelings of pressure, nausea or headaches may occur”
Dr Norm Broner (2007) cont.
“With increased use of Open Cycle Gas Turbine power plants, there is a need to consider acousBc energy not only down to the 31.5 Hz octave band but also to the 16 Hz octave band….
“In prac1ce, this means that OCGT power plants with Sound Power Level of the order of 115 – 120 dBA should be sited so that they are at least of the order of 1500 – 2000 metres away from the nearest residenBal premises.”
Latest AcousBc Research Evidence
• Latest acous1c field research from a different noise source has found that aRer chronic exposure the thresholds of percep1on for impulsive infrasound was around 50 dB (not 85dB as some acous1c consultants claim).
• This data is consistent with the findings of old NASA acous1c research in the 1980’s from gas turbines, wind turbines, and military aircraR
• This would mean even the 2 km buffer recommended by Dr Broner is insufficient to protect people, if the levels of ILFN emided are excessive.
For further informaBon
Waubra FoundaBon Website www.waubrafounda1on.org.au
CEO Sarah Laurie [email protected]
0474 050 463
References • Professor Leventhall’s comments at NHMRC workshop June 2011 re “noise
annoyance” hcp://waubrafounda1on.org.au/resources/leventhall-‐g-‐comments-‐nhmrc-‐june-‐2011-‐wind-‐turbine-‐syndrome-‐symptoms-‐same-‐as-‐noise-‐annoyance/
• See also Leventhall’s literature review for the UK Government in 2003 “A Review of the Published Literature on Low Frequency Noise and its effects” hcp://waubrafounda1on.org.au/resources/review-‐published-‐research-‐low-‐frequency-‐noise-‐leventhall/
• World Health Organisa1on major literature Reviews on Noise and Health include 1999 Community Noise, 2009 Night Noise Guidelines for Europe, and 2011 Environmental Noise, Burden of disease. These documents and others are all accessible from here: hcp://waubrafounda1on.org.au/informa1on/acous1cians-‐noise-‐regulators/literature-‐reviews/
• Australian Environmental Health Commicee (En Health) 2004 Report “ The Health Effects of Environmental Noise – other than hearing loss” hcp://waubrafounda1on.org.au/resources/health-‐effects-‐environmental-‐noise-‐other-‐than-‐hearing-‐loss/
References
• UN Commicee against Torture quote: hcp://waubrafounda1on.org.au/resources/un-‐conven1on-‐against-‐torture/
• Dr Neil Kelley et al 1982 hcp://waubrafounda1on.org.au/resources/kelley-‐et-‐al-‐methodology-‐for-‐assessment-‐wind-‐turbine-‐noise-‐genera1on-‐1982/
• Coal mining ILFN impacts in NSW Hunter Valley out to 10km -‐ hcp://waubrafounda1on.org.au/resources/mental-‐health-‐aspects-‐coal-‐seam-‐gas-‐mining/
• CSG ILFN impacts in QLD (Tara) out to beyond 10km -‐ hcp://waubrafounda1on.org.au/2013/report-‐tara-‐gas-‐field-‐health-‐survey-‐released/
• Australian Law Dic1onary quotes re “nuisance” hcp://www.oxfordreference.com/search?siteToSearch=aup&q=noise+nuisance&searchBtn=Search&isQuickSearch=true
References
• Metroll Victoria P/L v Wyndham CC [2007] VCAT 748 hcp://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-‐bin/sinodisp/au/cases/vic/VCAT/2007/748.html?stem=0&synonyms=0&query=Metroll
• Ar1cle by Tom Sebo in Goulburn Post re Uranquinty hcp://waubrafounda1on.org.au/resources/ten-‐families-‐forced-‐from-‐homes-‐nr-‐uranquinty-‐gas-‐fired-‐power-‐sta1on-‐due-‐noise/
• Dr Norm Broner, 2007 Madrid Conference Paper “The Missing 16 Hz – Can We Live With it?” hcp://waubrafounda1on.org.au/resources/broner-‐n-‐missing-‐16-‐hz-‐can-‐we-‐live-‐with/
• Dr Norm Broner also wrote a paper on si1ng OCGT called “Power to the People” which was presented at a conference in the UK in May 2012 hcp://waubrafounda1on.org.au/resources/low-‐frequency-‐noise-‐vibra1on-‐and-‐its-‐control/