In an e-mail message revealed in a newly unsealed deposition, Mike Cimino, a 3M marketing manager, remarked on the earplug's 85-cent cost and $7.63 selling price.Ĭimino observed how another individual 'seeded' the product into a 'new recruit issue program' at the Defense Department, appending 'LOL' to the end of the message. The department says that, in 2014, more than 933,000 veterans were receiving disability benefits related to hearing loss and nearly 1.3 million were receiving benefits related to tinnitus. Hearing loss is 'by far' the most common service-connected injury suffered by veterans, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. 3M disputes this, arguing that its earplug meets the military's base specifications even with any potential insertion issues.

The plaintiffs believe that the devices soldiers were provided may have reduced noise by as little as 10 percent of what was advertised. In response to a request for comment, 3M told Newsweek that it denies 'this product was defectively designed and caused injuries.' The lawsuits claim that the plug was inadvertently designed to loosen after insertion, creating a situation in which dangerously high levels of combat noise could damage the eardrum. The dispute over the earplug involves its ability to form a complete fit in the ear canal. The lawsuits began to be filed in late 2018 until the sheer volume became so unwieldy that the cases were aggregated and transferred to a federal court in Pensacola, Florida. Further Restricts Exports to China's Military, Report Says The Complete List of Military Coronavirus Cases By Base.

University Students Sued by 3M for Allegedly Selling Overpriced N95 Masks.It has acknowledged that 'certain users' of the earplug required special instructions to use the device properly, but claimed this caveat was 'clearly communicated' to the military. The suit also claims Aearo Technologies designed the product defectively, and that researchers covered up tests showing the earplugs could result in acoustic injury.ģM has repeatedly rejected claims of wrongdoing, denying that the Dual-Ended Combat Arms Earplug (CAEv2) was designed defectively or dangerously. servicemembers, allege that 3M and a subsidiary, Aearo Technologies, deceptively marketed and sold combat-grade earplugs to the military. The lawsuits, filed by approximately 140,000 U.S. Newly unsealed documents in a collection of federal lawsuits against the manufacturing giant 3M show that the company joked about earning lucrative margins from the Defense Department and dismissed concerns about transparency over a potentially defective product. A dispute with the manufacturer 3M over the effectiveness of its combat earplugs has spurred an avalanche of lawsuits which are now being litigated in federal court. Army soldiers on July 19, 2011, in Babil Province, Iraq.

3m dual ended combat arms earplugs