Hot on the heels of the iPod‘s makers being slammed with class-action suits because of claims that the wildly popular device can cause hearing damage comes the latest lawsuits to claim the same – this time for Bluetooth headsets.
Bluetooth’s shortwave innovation was conceived in the 1990’s and has been licensed to several products, from cars to ironically, hearing aids. Its headphone devices exploded into the market last year, selling over 33 million units last year.
Slick and ultra-tech in looks, the device allows hands-free working, which has appealed to so many, and has gotten millions addicted and using their headsets up to 12 hours a day.
What scientists have found out however, that even worse than the iPod or the old Sony Walkman, which had similar audiatory problems due to its headsets, the Bluetooth headset is just on ONE ear. In a test run, one Motorola model was able to produce a maximum volume of 106 decibels, which is enough to damage the hair cells of the inner ear even if used for a mere five minutes a day.
So with sales anticipated to grow even more next year, lawsuits have been filed in Tampa, Florida, accusing bluetooth headset manufacturers ( Motorola, Jabra, Plantronics) of failing to supply adequate health warnings.
