Dual ended combat arms earplugs
Rather than hire an independent firm to conduct the testing, the company chose to use its own employees. To meet these standards, Aearo was required to test the earplugs to determine the NRR, which must be included on the product label.
DUAL ENDED COMBAT ARMS EARPLUGS FREE
They were also supposed to be free from all defects and were to include instructions on proper use and handling. They were to have a certain noise reduction rating (NRR), as proven during testing. Specifically, the products were to provide protection from impulse noises produced by military firearms, while allowing the user to hear normal speech and other quieter sounds, such as spoken commands, on the battlefield. When Aearo replied to the Government RFP in 2003, Aearo was required to certify that its earplugs complied with military standards. 3M Falsely Certifies that Their Earplugs Comply with Military Standards Yet they never revealed these defects to the military. Even before Aearo won the military contract in 2003, they had performed tests on the dual-ended Combat Arms earplugs in 2000 and identified that the earplugs suffered from specific defects that rendered them less effective in providing hearing protection than expected and less effective than what their test results showed. (3M retained the employees at Aearo that developed and tested the earplugs). The earplugs were first developed by Aearo Technologies, Inc., which was later acquired by 3M in 2008. They can loosen imperceptibly, allowing more sound to enter the ear than expected, and increasing the risk of hearing damage. Department of Justice later joined the suit.Īccording to the complaint, the earplugs “have likely caused thousands of soldiers to suffer significant hearing loss and tinnitus in addition to exposing millions to the risk caused by 3Ms defective earplugs.” The problem is the earplugs are too short to form the correct seal in some user’s ear canals. In May 2016, competing earplug manufacturer Moldex-Metric, Inc., filed a whistleblower lawsuit against 3M claiming that the company made false statements to the government regarding its dual-ended Combat Arms earplugs, which were standard issue in certain branches of the military during foreign conflicts between 20. 3M Misleads Military and Hides Defects in Earplugs It is common knowledge within the military that soldiers often want hearing protection from loud noises, but allows them to tune into important quieter ones. It was this unique design that attracted the military, per the lawsuit that was eventually brought against 3M. Wear them with the yellow side in, called the “open position,” to block out loud sounds, but still allow softer sounds, like spoken commands and enemy movements, to be heard.
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Wear the earplugs with the dark side in, called the “closed position,” to block out all sound, including that created by aircraft, machinery, armored vehicles, explosions, and gunfire. What are 3M Combat Arms Earplugs?ģM Combat Arms Earplugs are made specifically for soldiers in combat and feature a unique two-sided design. Hearing protection is now standard issue and mandatory for all active-duty service members, but according to a recent whistleblower lawsuit, the hearing protection provided to some service members by the military for over a decade may not have done much good. The actual number may be even higher, as many do not report the problems or receive disability for them. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) states that hearing problems, including tinnitus, are “by far the most prevalent service-connected disability among American Veterans.” In 2017, there were over a million veterans receiving disability compensation for hearing loss and over 1.6 million receiving disability for tinnitus. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that 3M Company, exclusive provider of the dual-ended Combat Arms Earplugs (CAEv2) to certain branches of the military, agreed to pay $9.1 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly sold defective earplugs that did not work as expected, thus putting soldiers at a higher risk of hearing damage.