Debate · contested The Hum — Data Centers, Low-Frequency Noise and a Contested Harm

As AI data centers spread, residents nearby increasingly report a constant low-frequency hum — and symptoms including headaches, insomnia, nausea, dizziness and sleep disruption. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute notes these facilities emit sound across frequencies, with cooling systems and generators running 24/7 at levels reported up to ~96 dB; some complaints involve infrasound (below ~20 Hz, the threshold of human hearing). This entry is deliberately filed as contested. On one side: documented community complaints, a CDC/NIOSH case study associating low-frequency noise with annoyance and symptoms, and project moratoria. On the other: peer-reviewed research on wind-turbine complaints supports a "nocebo" explanation (symptoms driven by expectation rather than the inaudible sound itself), and finds no solid mechanism by which sub-audible infrasound at environmental levels causes disease. What's well-supported: audible low-frequency noise disturbs sleep and wellbeing. What remains unproven: that inaudible infrasound is the cause. Honest accountability means marking that line.