A Bitcoin mine moved to a small town in Texas. One by one, the residents fell ill.

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.

  • RavuAlHemio@lemmy.worldEnglish
    974·
    4 months ago

    Any statewide legislation is sure to hit significant headwinds, because the very idea of regulation runs contrary to many Texans’ political beliefs. “As constitutional conservatives, they have taken our core values and used that against us,” says Demetra Conrad, a city council member in the nearby town of Glen Rose.

    Maybe your core values are really stupid…

    • barsquid@lemmy.worldEnglish
      603·
      4 months ago

      “Lack of regulations is supposed to harm only people below us in the capitalism pyramid. But now we realize we’re lower in the pyramid than we thought, so this needs to be stopped via regulation.”

      It’s somehow 90 dB, that’d be horrific if I gave a shit about Repubs harming themselves with shitty legislation.

      I do feel bad for anyone politically sane subjected to that despite voting otherwise. I wish it was 90 dB at the residences of Rafael Cruz and Ken Paxton instead of them.

    • bionicjoey@lemmy.caEnglish
      182·
      4 months ago

      “Who could have predicted our unwillingness to make laws against things we don’t want would cause people to do things we don’t want‽”

    • Laser@feddit.orgEnglish
      74·
      4 months ago

      No, you’re reading it wrong with emphasis on against, while she emphasized the us.

      What she calls values aren’t stupid, they’re malicious, but usually targeted at groups she doesn’t like