3M agreed to settlement with the United States Government for defective earplugs.

Every day the men and women in our military put their lives on the line to protect our freedom. They depend on equipment to enhance their performance when addressing our nation’s needs. Unfortunately, some companies put profits over the wellbeing of our soldiers. From 2003-2015, dual-ended combat arms earplugs (CAEv2) from 3M were standard issue to U.S. military members.

The military issued these earplugs without knowledge of the defects. These earplugs placed thousands of our service members at risk of hearing loss. According to news reports, Aearo Technologies, which was acquired by 3M in 2008, was aware of the defects as early as 2000. This company hid their findings and became the exclusive provider of earplugs for the military.

Sadly, the Veterans Benefits Administration reports approximately 2.6 million veterans are receiving disability compensation for hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears), making this one of the most dominant service-related disabilities.