3M to pay $253 million to veterans in lawsuit settlement over earplugs and hearing loss

More than 30,000 active service members and veterans will receive $253 million from 3M in a settlement after a lawsuit alleged that combat earplugs from the conglomerate led to hearing loss, tinnitus and other hearing-related injuries.

The 3M Combat Arms Earplugs are at the center of the larger, $6 billion lawsuit, where more than 250,000 veterans and active service members said the earplugs caused hearing loss.

They were manufactured by 3M subsidiary Aero Technologies and sold to the U.S. military from 1999-2015. 3M acquired Aearo in 2008, and said the earplugs were safe when used properly, according to the Star Tribune.

3M said Monday it will be sending the payment to active service members and veterans by the end of January. In a statement, the conglomerate said since the settlement agreement was announced in August, "it has received strong and widespread support from claimants and the broader military community."

3M previously said it will contribute the money between 2023 and 2029, with $5 billion in cash and $1 billion in 3M common stock.

"We are pleased with 3M's decision to move up this payment and appreciate its commitment to the resolution of these claims," Bryan Aylstock, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said to the Star Tribune Tuesday. "So far, support for the settlement has been overwhelming and we expect to meet and indeed exceed the 98% participation threshold provided for in the settlement agreement in the coming weeks."

The earplugs at the center of the $6 lawsuit

In the complaint, the plaintiffs alleged that the Dual-Ended Combat Arms Earplugs, CAEv.2, manufactured between 2003 and 2015 by Aearo LLC, would become loose, exposing plaintiffs to loud and harmful sounds.

Some people who used the ear plugs worked civilian industrial professions or used them while hunting or firing weapons at the shooting range. Others used them while in military service for firearms training, vehicle maintenance and use, working in noise-hazardous conditions, domestically or abroad.

Multiple people suffered hearing loss, tinnitus, and other hearing-related injuries.

Hearing devices must undergo testing and abide by guidelines put forth by the American National Standards Institute, which requires a Noise Reduction Rating label that states the effectiveness of the device. According to the complaint, higher numbers are associated with better hearing protection, but the defendants allegedly used their own laboratory for testing and used "inappropriate testing procedures that substantially skew the results of the NRR labeling tests."

The ear plug NRR was allegedly manipulated to 22 when testing showed that rating on each subject was 10.9.

Aearo, 3M's subsidiary, attempted to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy but it was dismissed by a judge in June, who determined the company was "financially healthy."

Contributing: Amritpal Kaur Sandhu-Longoria, USA TODAY.