U.S. Newswire reports that a lawsuit has been brought against Motorola in U.S. District Court by a California man. His complaint? There were no warnings in the packaging of Motorola’s Bluetooth headsets that they could cause hearing loss.

“The American Speech-Hearing-Language Association recently included the Motorola’s H700 Bluetooth in a safety test, comparing it to federal standards for controlling occupational noise exposure,” says Harnett. “At full volume the headset tested from 82 - 106 dB. Can you imagine what that can do to the hearing of the average Bluetooth user who is using his headset for an extended period of time every day and has no clue that he is ‘poisoning’ his hearing with lethal doses of sound?”

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) says that exposure to sound averaging 85 dB for more than eight hours a day by itself presents a risk of hearing loss. According to NIOSH, each three decibel volume increase reduces the safety exposure time by half, which reflects the logarithmic nature of the decibel scale. For example, if a headset is set to provide a sound of 91 dB, noise induced hearing loss statistically develops if the headset is used for more than two hours a day. At 94 dB, NIHL statistically develops if the headset is used for more than one hour a day. At 102 dB, irreversible damage statistically develops if the headset is used for more than seven-and-a-half minutes per day.

If a teleconference is important enough to me that I’m going to listen to it for an hour or two, then I’m going to find a quieter place because one, I want to hear what’s being said, and two, I don’t want everyone in the teleconference to hear my environment. It only makes sense. If someone using their headset is going to be that rude in a teleconference, maybe they deserve a little ear-toasting. :) Motorola doesn’t need to be forced to raise their document costs. I still have my H500 documentation. There’s no positive statement that a person can use the device for a long time.

Ever since the days of the Walkman we have been informed that loud noises over long durations can harm one’s hearing. It’s reasonable that most people know this. This is just a money grab, and it’s likely no coincidence that this suit was filed in California.

Also, ZDNet reports that chatting on the cell phone can cause men to become infertile.

The researchers for the study stressed that more in-depth studies are needed to fully understand the fertility problems connected with cell phones. For example, the exact source of the problem needs to be pinpointed: It’s unclear whether the reduced sperm count is more directly linked to cell phones’ radiation or to their battery heat, which has been blamed for fertility problems related to laptop use.

I understand people using their laps for their hot laptops, but who is holding his phone between his legs? Sounds like this might also be another person getting what he deserves. :)