Michigan’s wind industry is just getting started, but a group led by two Michigan State University professors is calling for stricter noise levels at wind farms in the state.
MSU's Kenneth Rosenman says that’s why this is the perfect time to put tougher noise regulations in place on turbines.
Current guidelines call for a limit of 55 decibels. Rosenman says 40 decibels would be much better. He gives some comparisons:
"Normal conversation is 60 decibels," Rosenman says. "A ringing telephone is 30 decibels. A whisper is 30 decibels."
Rosenman says that might not sound like much, but imagine if you were trying to sleep with someone talking or a phone ringing all night.
He says repeated exposures to noise at night can lead to long-term adverse health effects, such as cardiovascular disease.
