America’s ‘Bitcoin Town’ is suffering from heart palpitations, migraines and ear discharge in worrying health crisis – is YOUR region next?

Residents of a Texas town say they are being “tortured” by debilitating health problems caused by the deafening hum of a local Bitcoin mine.

Some people living in rural Granbury, 40 miles outside Fort Worth, have reported heart problems, ear discharge and fainting spells linked to the mine.

A five-year-old was even sent to the ER because she had extreme pain in her ears, which she described as a “red streak behind her eardrums.”

Experts fear this bleak picture will be repeated in hundreds of other rural U.S. communities as Bitcoin mining operations expand.

A Bitcoin mine is a massive facility equipped with tens of thousands of powerful computers that crunch through code in search of lucrative Bitcoins.

The machines are housed on site in large metal crates that look a bit like shipping containers. The machines generate heat that is dissipated by fans, which can make a lot of noise.

This sound can be 90 decibels (dB) louder in the environment. This is comparable to the sound of a chainsaw, blender or hair dryer that is on continuously.

According to the CDC, exposure to sounds at this level for more than two hours can cause permanent damage to the eardrums. It also states that in order to sleep, sounds should be below 30 dB, about the sound of a whisper.

In addition to Texas residents, residents of Bono, Arkansas, and Williston, North Dakota, have also raised the alarm about the constant noise from their mine.

There are currently 137 Bitcoin mines in the US, up from before 2021, when factories moved here from China, where they were banned.

The US now accounts for 38 percent of global Bitcoin mining, compared to three percent previously.

It is estimated that by 2030, mines will consume eight percent of all U.S. electricity, up from an estimated two percent today.

In many cases, mines are built in areas with cheap electricity and few regulations, which can make them noisy.

Attorney Mandy DeRoche of Earthjustice, which has campaigned against Bitcoin mining, told TIME: ‘Traditionally, Bitcoin miners choose the cheapest source of electricity with the least regulation, and do the cheapest thing possible.

“That is one of the reasons why noise pollution from crypto mining is often much worse than that from traditionally operated data center operators.”

In Granbury, fines of $500 can be issued for noises exceeding 85 dB, although local authorities do not have the authority to impose further penalties or shut down the mine.

Meanwhile, authorities in Arkansas have passed legislation to protect businesses from disgruntled neighbors.

And in Indiana and Missouri, lawmakers are also trying to exempt crypto companies from noise laws.

Doctors suspect the noise from the fans could be causing many of the health problems described by residents of Granbury and other areas near Bitcoin mines.

They say the noise and lack of sleep it causes can lead to increased stress and inflammation in the body, which in severe cases can cause complications such as heart palpitations.

Persistent loud noises have previously been linked to complaints such as headaches and migraines, although the exact mechanism is unclear.

After the Granbury mine opened in the summer of 2022, residents retreated from their porches to their homes to escape the noise.

But they soon discovered that the noise was also coming inside. Many noticed windows rattling and beds shaking.

Wild animals, such as rabbits, coyotes and birds, also fled the area. Chickens also stopped laying eggs and dogs suffered from spasms.

At least 40 residents have reported complaints that they believe are caused by noise from Bitcoin mines. At least ten of them have been rushed to the emergency room.

One of them was five-year-old Indigo Rosenkranz, who was rushed to the emergency room in early February 2023, screaming that she felt a “red beam behind her eardrums.”

Her 43-year-old mother Sarah also suddenly lost her balance at home. She had such a severe headache that it felt like “my head was in a vice and being crushed. It was worse than childbirth.”

In another case, 77-year-old Pastor Larry Potts said his heart gave out in February of this year after days of sleepless nights. He was rushed to the hospital and kept alive with an external pacemaker.

Jackie Sawicky, who is campaigning to stop the mines with the Texas Coalition Against Cryptomining, told DailyMail.com in a statement: ‘When China banned crypto and crypto mining in September 2021, (Texas) Governor Greg Abbot personally invited them to our state, citing cheap energy and a liberalized market.

“Texas is now number one in crypto mining and it has made our bills go up. They are wasting precious water, they are destabilizing the power grid, and they are torturing locals like the (Granbury community).

“There are NO extenuating circumstances for the Bitcoin proof-of-waste industry. There is NO justification for wasting the nation’s wealth in this way.”

She is campaigning for the construction of a Bitcoin facility near her home in Corsicana, Texas, which, when completed, will be the largest in the world.

The Granbury mine is owned by Marathon Digital Holdings, which is headquartered in Las Vegas and has about 240,000 Bitcoin mining machines. Its annual revenue is about $500 million per year.

They say they are working on the site to replace the fans with immersion technology, which involves throwing computers in oil to keep them cool.

Last year a 6,000 metre long wall was built around the site, but this has done little to reduce noise pollution.