Offshore Wind and Human Health
Offshore Wind and Human Health
Blade Materials and Toxicity:
· Erosion: Offshore wind turbine blades erode over time, releasing harmful contaminants into the ocean, including microplastics and Bisphenol A (BPA)[1].
· Failures: Blades fail more frequently than previously recognized[2]. A collapsed blade can scatter over 50 tons of PVC foam, PET, epoxy resins, forever chemicals (PFAs), styrene, formaldehyde, and phthalates into the ocean[3]. These chemicals are associated with an increased risk of cancer[4],[5],[6],[7], endocrine disruption[8], and immune system alteration[9].
· Microplastics: Studies have found microplastics in marine mammal tissues and the human cardiovascular systems. Microplastics correlate with an increased risk of heart disease[10].
Environmental toxins and hazards:
· Sediment resuspension: Disturbed sediment will release contaminates from the seafloor and river beds, including hazardous chemicals (e.g., PFAs, BPAs), pesticides, and heavy metals into the marine environment from decades of industrial waste[11]. These toxins bioaccumulate in seafood, posing significant risks to human health[12].
· Monitoring: The absence of consistent monitoring or testing for contaminants in the sediment, our seafood, and ocean water increases uncertainty about the long-term safety of these resources.
· EMFs: Undersea cables emit electromagnetic fields (EMFs). Many marine species rely on their ability to sense small magnetic changes for survival. Adding EMFs to the marine environment can disrupt migration, the ability to locate prey and avoid predators, and normal development.
· Heat: Cables raise ambient temperature levels on the sea floor. Wind turbine wakes alter air temperatures, and monopiles increase mixing, which disrupts temperature stratification. These changes will alter the ocean’s complex ecosystem.
Water Pollution:
· New pollutants: The projects off the shores of Massachusetts and Rhode Island will house 34 million gallons of oils, lubricants, and coolants[13]. Natural disasters such as hurricanes could cause catastrophic spills, potentially releasing three times more petroleum products than the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
· Old pollutants: Sediment disturbance during turbine and cable installation (e.g., jet plowing and pile driving) resuspends decades of toxic waste, which then enters the water column and accumulates in the food chain.
Mental Health Impacts:
· Connection with Nature: Industrialization of the ocean disrupts the human connection to nature, particularly the sense of "awe" inspired by natural seascapes[14],[15]. This loss may exacerbate the mental health crisis.
· Noise pollution: Noise pollution from offshore turbines, including infrasound, could negatively impact cardiac function[16] and brain structure[17], though research in this area remains limited.
Biodiversity Concerns:
· Biofouling: Steel monopiles invite invasive filter feeders to colonize or biofoul the surface area[18].
· Habitat destruction: Offshore wind projects irrevocably alter critical ocean habitats, crushing, smothering, and killing marine life[19].
· Harmful Algal Blooms: Offshore wind turbines decrease oxygenation and increase the risk of harmful algal blooms[20]. These blooms can have cascading effects on the marine food chain and human health[21], [22].
· Primary Productivity: Offshore wind turbines decrease primary productivity[23], the basis of the planet’s food chain and of all life.
Gaps in our Knowledge:
· The long-term effects of offshore wind projects on marine ecosystems, human health, fetal development, and seafood safety remain poorly understood.
· The cumulative mental health impacts of industrializing oceans on local communities have not been adequately studied.
· Connections between harmful algal blooms, sediment resuspension, and turbine installation require further investigation.
· Long-term impacts of EMFs, infrasound, light flicker, and temperature alterations on marine life and human health remain poorly understood.
References
[1] Solberg et al., “Leading edge erosion and pollution from wind turbine blades,” 2019, https://docs.wind-watch.org/Leading-Edge-erosion-and-pollution-from-wind-turbine-blades_5_july_English.pdf.
[2] Campbell, Annual blade failures estimated at around 3,800, Wind Power Monthly, 2015. https://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1347145/annual-blade-failures-estimated-around-3800
[3] Vineyard Wind Turbine Blade Material Safety Data Sheet, https://nantucket-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/48367/Vineyard-Wind-MSDS-Documents-PDF
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK590797/
[5] Ahern et al., “Phthalate Exposure and Breast Cancer Incidence: A Danish Nationwide Cohort Study, Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2019. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7351345/
[6] https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/formaldehyde
[7] https://dceg.cancer.gov/research/what-we-study/pfas
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK590797/
[9] Golden et al., “Immunomodulatory Role of EDCs in Disrupting Metabolic Health,” in Endocrine Disruption and Human Health, Second Edition, Chapter 16, London, England, Academic Press, 2022.
[10] Marfella R, Prattichizzo F, Sardu C, et al. Microplastics and nanoplastics in atheromas and cardiovascular events. N Engl J Med 2024;390:900-10, https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2309822
[11] Quinn et al., “Final Summary Report to the Narragansett Bay Project Office: Assessment of Organic Contaminants in Narragansett Bay Sediments and Hard Shell Clams,” https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/gso_pubs/13/
[12] https://www.epa.gov/salish-sea/toxics-food-web?
[13] RWF, FEIS, p. 3.6-11, https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/revolution-wind-final-eis
[14] Flemming et al., “Enhancing Human Health and Wellbeing through Sustainably and Equitably Unlocking a Healthy Ocean’s Potential,” Annals of Global Health, 2024, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11243763/
[15] Monroy and Kelttner, “Awe as a pathway to mental and physical health, Association for Psychological Science, 2022, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35994778/
[16] Chaban et al., “Negative effect of high-level infrasound on human myocardial contractility: in-vito controlled experiment,” Noise Helth, 2021, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8411947/
[17] Ascone et al., “A longitudinal, randomized experimental pilot study to investigate the effects of airborne infrasound on human mental health, cognition, and brain structure,” Scientific Reports, 2021, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-82203-6
[18] Malerba et al., “The outsized trophic footprint of marine urbanization,” Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2074
[19] RWF, FEIS, p. 3.6-43 details the marine life that will be crushed, buried, and entrapped, https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/revolution-wind-final-eis.
[20] Daewal et al., “Offshore wind farms are projected to impact primary production and bottom water deoxygenation in the North Sea,” 2022, https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-022-00625-0.pdf
[21] Sterling et al., “Emerging harmful algal blooms caused by distinct seasonal assemblages of a toxic diatom,” Limnology and Oceanography, 2022, https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/lno.12189
[22] Pulido, “Domoic acid toxicology pathology: A review,” Marine Drugs, 2008, https://mdpi-res.com/marinedrugs/marinedrugs-06-00180/article_deploy/marinedrugs-06-00180.pdf?version=1424780451
[23] Slavik et al., “The large-scale impact of offshore wind farm structures on pelagic primary productivity in the southern North Sea,” Hydrobiologia, 2019, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10750-018-3653-5