3M Faces $7 Trillion Penalty for Supplying Defective Earplugs to US Military

Claim of Hearing Damage After Using 3M Earplugs
300,000 Join Class Action Lawsuit

Office and medical supplies manufacturer 3M is facing a compensation payment of $5.5 billion (approximately 7.3 trillion KRW) for supplying defective earplugs to the U.S. military.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 28th (local time), 3M is pushing for a settlement with the plaintiffs in the defective earplug lawsuit for an amount of $5.5 billion, which is less than initially expected. However, the final amount has not been confirmed as the 3M board has yet to vote on the proposal.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The problematic earplugs are noise-canceling products from 3M’s subsidiary, Aero Technology, released in 2008. These earplugs were specially designed to block loud noises such as engine explosions while allowing human voices to be heard clearly, and were issued to soldiers working in noisy environments like airfields.

However, it was discovered that the product became loose over time after wearing, causing it to malfunction. Many soldiers claimed that despite using the earplugs, their hearing was not protected from gunfire and artillery noise.

Since the issue became public in 2018, lawsuits against 3M and its subsidiaries have continued. Last year, two veterans who lost their hearing after using 3M earplugs during deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan were awarded $110 million (approximately 145.5 billion KRW) in compensation by a Florida federal court.

About 300,000 victims joined the class-action lawsuit against 3M. Initially, the compensation 3M was expected to pay was estimated to reach up to $15 billion (approximately 19.9 trillion KRW), causing 3M’s stock price to suffer prolonged declines. However, during negotiations, the compensation amount was reduced to about one-third of the original estimate.

Aero Technology, 3M’s subsidiary that developed the earplugs, filed for bankruptcy protection last year but was rejected.

3M to Pay 13 Trillion KRW in Settlement for Carcinogenic Substance 'PFAS' Lawsuit

Earplugs (This is a reference photo and is not directly related to the article content)

This is not the first time 3M has agreed to pay a large settlement. In June, 3M agreed to pay $10.3 billion (approximately 13.6 trillion KRW) in a settlement related to lawsuits claiming that carcinogenic pollutants called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contaminated water supplies across the United States.

PFAS are carcinogenic pollutants known as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down naturally in the environment. These substances have been widely used across various industries, from household products to automobiles and semiconductors. However, due to their harmful effects on human health?including cancer, hormonal dysfunction, and liver damage?and environmental pollution, many countries have started regulating their use.

3M plans to invest the settlement amount over the next 13 years to restore water quality in public water systems across the U.S. A 3M spokesperson explained, “The payment amount could reach up to $12.5 billion (approximately 16.3 trillion KRW) depending on how much PFAS is detected in water quality tests required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the next three years.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.