Motorola Sued: Hearing Loss Allegedly Caused by Bluetooth Headsets
In 2006 there was a lawsuit against Motorola for allegedly manufacturing Bluetooth headsets that endanger the hearing of users.
Alawsuit (Alpert v. Motorola, et al, 06-cv-5586)—brought by defense firm Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney—was filed in Federal Court in Chicago, and alleged that Motorola’s Bluetooth headsets can cause hearing loss.“The complaint claims that exposure to sounds emitted from the headsets, even for time periods as short as a few minutes, can cause serious and permanent hearing loss,” Fish wrote.
More specifically, the lawsuit brought two main complaints:
- That the headsets sold do not come with sufficient warnings regarding the potential for hearing loss
- That the headsets include controls letting users set the volume to levels exceeding 85 decibels
This lawsuit raises some important questions about personal responsibility, and to what extent companies should be held responsible for the potential uses consumers may put their products to. It’s also hardly the first time this topic has come up.
In addition, iPods “can produce sounds of more than 115 decibels, a volume that can damage the hearing of a person exposed to the sound for more than 28 seconds per day,” an AP report at the time noted.
Studies have shown listening to music on MP3 players can lead to hearing loss. But the question remains whether the responsibility to prevent hearing damage lies with manufacturers or consumers.
Perhaps, if the lawsuit against Motorola goes forward, consumers will end up safer. Or maybe we’ll just have one more warning label to read.