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Donald Trump

stated on April 2, 2019 in a speech to the National Republican Congressional Committee:

"The noise (from windmills) causes cancer."

By Jon Greenberg April 8, 2019

Donald Trump's ridiculous link between cancer, wind turbines

"Idiotic," said Sen. Chuck Grassley.

"It’s ridiculous," said Sen. Joni Ernst.

Iowa’s two Republican senators were talking about President Donald Trump’s comment that windmills cause cancer.

Trump made the off-hand remark at a fundraiser for the National Republican Congressional Committee. As he often does, Trump attacked wind power as an energy source. (We checked his recent Mostly False claim that it leaves electric grids at the mercy of the wind.)

"If you have a windmill anywhere near your house, congratulations, your house just went down 75 percent in value," Trump told his fellow Republicans April 2. "And they say the noise causes cancer."

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We asked the White House for evidence that wind turbine noise causes cancer. We didn’t hear back.

The health impact of wind turbines has been a topic of much conjecture. The Australian parliament took the question seriously enough to form a Select Committee on Wind Turbines. The group was sympathetic to personal reports of discomfort, and the list of ailments it heard was long: "tinnitus, raised blood pressure, heart palpitations, tachycardia, stress, anxiety, vertigo, dizziness," and more.

But no one complained of cancer. In its final 2015 report, the committee said more evidence was needed to establish a link to any illness.

Meanwhile, the Australian Medical Association said, "The available Australian and international evidence does not support the view that the infrasound or low frequency sound generated by wind farms, as they are currently regulated in Australia, causes adverse health effects on populations residing in their vicinity. "

A 2014 review in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine of scientific studies found that "epidemiological studies have shown associations between living near wind turbines and annoyance." And that "annoyance seems more strongly related to individual characteristics than noise from turbines."

So annoyance, yes. Cancer? No.

Mitt Romney

stated on April 26, 2007 in Stratham, N.H.

"(McCain) was opposed to ethanol. Now he's for it."

Trump’s words were particularly unwelcome in Iowa. The Hawkeye State gets nearly 40 percent of its electric power from wind — more than any other state.

A couple of days after Trump spoke, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds kicked off an initiative to expand wind turbines in her state. Reynolds dodged questions about Trump’s statement, saying it wasn’t her place to comment.

But Sen. Ernst had no reservations.

"It’s ridiculous," she said April 4 (listen at 2:20). "Wind energy is just a tremendous asset for the state of Iowa. We are so fortunate to have so much of our electric drawn from a clean power source."

Our ruling

Trump said windmill noise causes cancer. The White House provided no evidence. No study supports the statement.

Echoing Iowa’s Republican senators, we rate this ridiculous statement Pants on Fire.

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