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Inside the 'Nightmare' Health Crisis of a Texas Bitcoin Town (time.com)

submitted 4 months ago by StevenSaus@midwest.social to c/technology@lemmy.world

61 comments fedilink hide all child comments

cross-posted from: https://midwest.social/post/14304762

Over the course of several months in 2024, TIME spoke to more than 40 people in the Granbury area who reported a medical ailment that they believe is connected to the arrival of the Bitcoin mine: hypertension, heart palpitations, chest pain, vertigo, tinnitus, migraines, panic attacks. At least 10 people went to urgent care or the emergency room with these symptoms. The development of large-scale Bitcoin mines and data centers is quite new, and most of them are housed in extremely remote places. There have been no major medical studies on the impacts of living near one. But there is an increasing body of scientific studies linking prolonged exposure to noise pollution with cardiovascular damage.

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[–] dhork@lemmy.world 8 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

The article says that in Texas, only a city government can enact an enforceable noise ordinance. Since this thing is nowhere near any city, all the local sheriff can do is write tickets, he can't force them to turn it off.

[–] NeoNachtwaechter@lemmy.world -2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

OK but noise ordinances are just a small detail here!

This "mine" makes people suffer physical and psychological damage every minute of every day. Imagine a machine gun rattling day and night into all directions, eventually killing some people accidentially...

Police should therefore shut this thing down immediately without any questions. And then they can ask all questions and discuss all details afterwards.

[–] dhork@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

No, noise ordinances are the entire point, because the excessive noise is the only thing that can be causing these problems in the community. There are thousands of data centers all over the world, with fans running 24/7, and staff on hand 24/7 to tend to them. They don't cause these problems in the community, but they also have actual walls. And I bet their employers mandate good hearing protection so their staff doesn't have these problems.

There is no statute local police can use to shut it down, because Texans love their freedom so much, and elect freedom-loving politicians who abhor any regulations at all. Maybe if they paint the trailers black, the cops will think they are a threat and shoot them or something.

[–] NeoNachtwaechter@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

There is no statute local police can use to shut it down, because Texans love their freedom so much

When lives are in immediate danger, police must act immediately. Isn't that a general principle, independent of small details?

What you are saying comes down to "murder is allowed unless there is a specific law against your specific method of murdering" and this appears still quite unbelievable to me.