Data Center Infrasound: The Hidden Health Threat Affecting Oklahoma Residents

• Infrasound is below the threshold of human hearing, and some residents report symptoms they associate with it. Sound below 20 Hz cannot be heard. Some residents near industrial facilities report dizziness, nausea, sleep disruption, headaches, and anxiety, though the scientific literature on whether infrasound at typical environmental exposure levels causes these symptoms is limited and contested.
• Standard noise meters cannot detect infrasound. Conventional decibel meters measure sound in the 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz range. A data center can be producing harmful infrasound levels while showing "compliant" readings on standard equipment, which is why residents are routinely dismissed when they complain to local authorities.
• Data centers are 24/7 industrial facilities. Thousands of industrial cooling fans, diesel backup generators, and on-site gas turbines run continuously, and actual noise levels vary by facility and equipment. Unlike a factory that operates during business hours, there is no reprieve, the exposure is constant, day and night.
• Oklahoma is at the center of the data center boom. Google, Cerebras, TierPoint, and multiple hyperscale operators are building or proposing facilities near Sand Springs, Piedmont, Council Hill, Tulsa, and Oklahoma City. Residents near these facilities are among the first in Oklahoma to experience data center infrasound exposure.
• You do not need to prove a code violation to sue. Under Oklahoma private nuisance law (50 O.S. § 1), you only need to show that the data center's operations substantially and unreasonably interfere with your use and enjoyment of your property. Compliance with noise ordinances is not a defense.
• Documenting symptoms and their correlation to the data center is critical. A symptom diary showing when symptoms began, their severity, and whether they improve when you leave the area is the foundation of a nuisance claim. Medical records documenting the symptoms are equally important.

Data center infrasound refers to low-frequency sound below 20 Hz produced by the industrial cooling fans, diesel generators, and gas turbines that run continuously at modern data centers. Standard noise meters cannot detect infrasound, so a data center can be fully compliant with noise ordinances while some nearby residents report dizziness, nausea, sleep disruption, headaches, and anxiety that they associate with the facility's operation, though the underlying science connecting infrasound at typical exposure levels to these symptoms remains limited and contested. Under Oklahoma private nuisance law (50 O.S. § 1), residents do not need to prove a code violation, only that the interference with their property is substantial and unreasonable. Oklahoma is experiencing a data center construction boom near Sand Springs, Piedmont, Council Hill, Tulsa, and Oklahoma City, making this an emerging and active area of litigation.

Something is happening in neighborhoods near data centers across Oklahoma. Residents who were perfectly healthy before a massive server facility opened nearby are now reporting chronic dizziness, nausea, disrupted sleep, persistent headaches, and anxiety. Their doctors cannot find anything wrong. Standard noise measurements show the facility is "compliant." Yet the symptoms persist, and improve only when residents leave the area.

Some residents and researchers point to infrasound, low-frequency sound waves below 20 Hz that are inaudible to humans but can be physically felt, as a possible explanation, though the science connecting infrasound at typical environmental exposure levels to these symptoms is not settled. And Oklahoma, with its surge in data center construction near Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Sand Springs, Piedmont, and Council Hill, is at the center of this emerging public health and legal issue.

What Is Infrasound?

Infrasound refers to acoustic energy at frequencies below 20 Hz, below the threshold of human hearing. You cannot hear it, but your body can detect it. The human body responds to infrasound through multiple physiological pathways:

• The vestibular system: The inner ear's balance organs are sensitive to low-frequency vibration. Infrasound can disrupt the vestibular system, causing dizziness, vertigo, and balance problems.
• Physical resonance: Some researchers have theorized that body cavities may resonate at certain low frequencies, with rough estimates placing the chest and abdominal cavity in the single-digit to low double-digit Hz range and the skull somewhat higher, and that matching resonance could theoretically cause discomfort or pressure sensations. This mechanism remains largely theoretical, however, and the sound-pressure levels believed necessary to produce it are generally far higher than typical residential or environmental exposure.
• The autonomic nervous system: Some studies have examined whether prolonged infrasound exposure affects the autonomic nervous system's stress response, including cortisol levels and heart rate variability, but the evidence for a distinct infrasound-specific mechanism at typical environmental exposure levels remains limited and contested.
• Sleep disruption: Infrasound can penetrate building walls and windows that stop audible noise, and some research suggests continued low-frequency exposure during sleep may interfere with deep sleep stages, though this remains an active area of study rather than settled science.

Symptoms some residents and researchers have associated with prolonged infrasound exposure include:

• Dizziness and vertigo
• Nausea and gastrointestinal distress
• Chronic sleep disruption and insomnia
• Persistent headaches and migraines
• Anxiety, irritability, and mood changes
• Cognitive fog and difficulty concentrating
• Heart palpitations and cardiovascular stress
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• Fatigue and reduced quality of life

The scientific literature on whether infrasound at typical environmental exposure levels causes these symptoms is limited and contested: some studies have found reported symptoms correlate more with general noise annoyance than with a distinct infrasound-specific physiological mechanism. Whether a particular facility caused a specific individual's symptoms is a case-specific medical and scientific question requiring individualized evidence, not something that can be assumed from the presence of a nearby facility alone.

Why Do Data Centers Produce Infrasound?

Modern data centers, particularly the hyperscale AI facilities being built across Oklahoma, are essentially industrial power plants. They require enormous amounts of electricity and generate massive amounts of heat, which must be continuously removed. The infrastructure required to do this is a primary and substantial source of infrasound:

Industrial Cooling Systems

Cooling accounts for nearly 40% of a data center's total power consumption. Large hyperscale facilities deploy thousands of industrial fans, cooling towers, and HVAC units running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. While a single industrial fan produces minimal infrasound, thousands operating simultaneously create powerful low-frequency waves that can travel hundreds of feet through the ground and air, and penetrate building walls that would stop audible noise. The cooling systems at a large data center can produce infrasound levels equivalent to those generated by industrial wind turbines, which have been the subject of extensive health research and litigation.

Diesel Backup Generators

Every data center maintains diesel backup generators to ensure continuous operation during power outages or grid fluctuations. These generators can be a significant source of noise during operation. They are tested periodically to confirm they will function during an outage and can activate at any time when grid power is reduced or unstable. They are a significant source of both audible noise and low-frequency vibration that travels through the ground and into nearby structures.

On-Site Gas Turbines

The largest AI data centers, including some being built in Oklahoma, generate their own power using natural gas turbines rather than relying solely on grid power. These turbines are essentially industrial jet engines operating continuously. The infrasound and low-frequency noise output from these machines is substantial and extends well beyond the facility's property line. Unlike backup generators that operate intermittently, gas turbines run continuously as the primary power source.

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Systems

Large UPS systems, battery banks and power conditioning equipment that provide instantaneous backup power, also generate low-frequency electromagnetic fields and acoustic vibration. In large facilities, these systems are substantial in size and contribute to the overall low-frequency noise environment.

Why Standard Noise Measurements Miss the Problem

This is the critical issue that makes data center infrasound cases so challenging, and so important. Standard noise ordinances and decibel meters measure sound in the audible frequency range (20 Hz to 20,000 Hz), typically using A-weighting (dBA) that further reduces the measured level of low-frequency sounds. Infrasound, by definition, falls below this range. A data center can be producing harmful levels of infrasound while registering as "quiet" on a standard A-weighted meter.

This measurement gap has two important consequences:

• Regulatory compliance does not equal safety. When residents complain to local authorities, they are often told the facility is in compliance with noise ordinances. This is technically true, but the ordinances do not measure infrasound, so compliance with them says nothing about infrasound levels.
• Specialized measurement is required. Accurately measuring infrasound requires equipment capable of measuring frequencies below 20 Hz, typically using G-weighting or flat-response measurement. This equipment is not standard in local government noise enforcement, and the expertise to interpret the measurements is specialized.

In litigation, proving infrasound exposure requires an acoustic engineer with specialized infrasound measurement expertise, equipment capable of measuring sub-20 Hz frequencies, and measurement protocols that capture the 24/7 nature of the exposure. This is one of the reasons why having an experienced attorney with access to the right experts is essential in these cases.

Oklahoma's Data Center Boom

Oklahoma has become a prime destination for hyperscale data center development. Low land costs, available power infrastructure, central location, and favorable tax incentives have attracted major operators to build large facilities across the state:

• Sand Springs: A proposed Google data center sparked a lawsuit in early 2026 over land use and annexation. Residents have raised health and nuisance concerns about the facility's proximity to homes and schools.
• Piedmont: Residents raised water and growth concerns in May 2026 over a proposed large-scale data center project, citing potential noise and health impacts on the surrounding community.
• Council Hill / Muskogee County: Google's Summit and Council Hill data center projects represent billions of dollars in investment near rural eastern Oklahoma communities that have never experienced industrial-scale noise and infrasound.
• Tulsa Metro: Multiple operators including TierPoint and Windstream run data centers in and around Tulsa, with AI workloads dramatically increasing cooling demands and associated infrasound output.
• Oklahoma City Metro: Multiple facilities are operating or under development in the OKC metro area, with proximity to residential neighborhoods in some cases.

Your Legal Rights Under Oklahoma Law

If you live near a data center and are experiencing symptoms consistent with infrasound exposure, you may have a legal claim under Oklahoma nuisance law. Under 50 O.S. § 1, a nuisance is defined as anything that is injurious to health, indecent or offensive to the senses, or an obstruction to the free use of property, so as to interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property. A private nuisance is one that affects a single individual or a small number of individuals.

Critically, you do not need to prove that the data center violated a noise ordinance, a zoning regulation, or any other specific rule. You only need to show that the interference with your property and health is substantial and unreasonable. Oklahoma courts consider multiple factors in evaluating reasonableness, including:

• The severity and nature of the harm to the plaintiff
• The character of the neighborhood (residential vs. industrial)
• The social utility of the defendant's conduct
• Whether the defendant could have taken reasonable steps to reduce the impact
• The timing of the plaintiff's arrival relative to the nuisance (coming to the nuisance)

Recoverable damages in a data center nuisance case include medical expenses, diminished property value, loss of use and enjoyment of your home, pain and suffering, and in cases of reckless disregard for resident health, punitive damages under 23 O.S. § 9.1.

What to Do If You Are Experiencing Symptoms

If you believe a nearby data center may be affecting your health, take these steps immediately:

1. Start a symptom diary. Keep a daily log of symptoms, noting the date, time, severity (1-10 scale), and whether symptoms improve when you leave the area. This diary is critical evidence in a nuisance claim.
2. See a doctor and get your symptoms documented. Medical records documenting your symptoms are essential for any future legal claim. Tell your doctor about the data center and your suspicion that it may be the cause.
3. Talk to your neighbors. Are others experiencing similar symptoms? Multiple affected residents substantially strengthens a nuisance case and may support a class action or coordinated litigation.
4. Document when symptoms began. Did they start or worsen after the data center became operational or expanded? The temporal correlation between the facility's operation and the onset of symptoms is important evidence.
5. Photograph and document the facility. Note the location of cooling towers, generators, and other equipment relative to your home. Document any visible construction, expansion, or changes to the facility.
6. Contact an attorney. Data center infrasound litigation is an emerging area of law that requires attorneys who understand both the science and the legal framework. Early involvement allows for proper evidence preservation and expert engagement.

If you live near a data center in Oklahoma and are experiencing unexplained health symptoms, call (918) 770-9775 for a free consultation. I am actively investigating data center nuisance cases across Oklahoma. There is no fee unless we win.