'We trusted that our equipment would work,' says Army vet, as U.S. trial over 3M earplugs begins

[dalton99a]

Last edited Mon Mar 29, 2021, 12:45 PM - Edit history (1)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-3m-earplugs-trial/we-trusted-that-our-equipment-would-work-says-army-vet-as-u-s-trial-over-3m-earplugs-begins-idUSKBN2BL157

March 29, 2021 5:08 AM
'We trusted that our equipment would work,' says Army vet, as U.S. trial over 3M earplugs begins
By Tom Hals

(Reuters) - When U.S. combat veteran Dave Henderson completed his first deployment to Iraq in 2010, he began to experience ringing in his ears and struggled to hear what others around him picked up with ease.

Henderson blames the hearing damage on an earplug that the military bought by the millions from 3M Co and he is one of more than 200,000 veterans and service members suing the company, claiming it covered up known design defects from the Department of Defense.

“We had no choice but to use the 3M earplugs,” said Henderson, 36, who earned a Bronze Star Medal while in the Army from 2007 to 2013. “We trusted that our equipment would work.”

Henderson, who lives in Philadelphia, said he now sleeps with a fan on to help blur “out the ringing in his ears” and sometimes can’t hear when one of his two children is crying.


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https://www.startribune.com/supersized-legal-action-first-trial-starts-this-week-in-massive-3m-earplugs-litigation/600039640/

First trial starts this week in massive 3M earplugs litigation
Nearly 230,000 claims are pending in federal court.
By Mike Hughlett | Star Tribune
March 28, 2021 — 1:11pm

[Beringia]

1. It sounds like the army didn't tell the soldiers to fold back the side cups

From the article

For the earplugs to work properly, the flexible cups on the side protruding from the ear sometimes had to be folded back. If not, the plugs would slowly loosen and noise would seep in.

3M has said designers informed the government of the need to fold the plugs, and that it was up to the Department of Defense to convey that information to soldiers.

Veterans argue the military was kept in the dark until the information came to light through separate litigation, which the plaintiffs say prompted 3M to discontinue the earplugs.