The Editor:
Our grandchildren live near Ottawa. They are safe there from the dangers that children in our area will be facing. My wife and I have discussed the problems children may have in school after feeling the effects of the wind turbines and the infrasound that they emit. There will be other vibrations generated by these monstrous masses of gears and huge propellers vibrating in the wind as they turn at high speed.

Some sounds, as many people who have pets will agree, are detectable by dogs, for example, who become agitated before a storm hits us. Other sounds are at high frequencies such as are emitted by dog whistles that human ears cannot detect. Think of the whistles used to direct sheep dogs to move herds of sheep towards a pen. There are competitions for those interested in this ability of dogs and their trainers to work together.

Infrasound is any sound that our ears cannot detect: the frequencies below 20 hertz. After the disaster of the 2004 tsunami, very few dogs and cats were found dead. They presumably ran away from the incoming wall of water which emitted an infrasound. (See articles: Science Daily, “Mystery of elephant infrasounds revealed” Aug., 3, University of Vienna; Geophysics & Behavior, “Infrasound can mess with your head.”)

I wonder if our local school boards have considered looking at the research results regarding the effect of infrasound on the organs and nervous system of young children. Are children more or less affected than adults are? What effects are there in the learning outcomes for children during school hours and also when they are at home when they should be getting a good night’s sleep?

Many children have learning difficulties now. The school system has had to find ways to help them. What challenges will our school systems have to face after the installation of the wind turbines and the numerous vibrations which will be transmitted through the air and the ground on which our homes and schools are built?

I will begin to try to find out what research is out there, which has looked at infrasound and its effect on the young and their ability to concentrate on the task of learning.

Roger Villeneuve
Berwick