@Ken219
I am familiar with the 3M lawsuit, and that concerns a specific earplug,and loud, military explosions that can be up in the 140 - 160 db range or so with high caliber rifle fire and explosions. From the pictures I have seen, they appear to be silicone plugs, that are NRR 25, so even less effective than foam earplugs.
I am under no illusions that foam ear plugs, the best ones are NRR 33, can protect from any noise exposure, and would still be inadequate for these military noise exposures, although an improvement on what the soldiers were offered in previous conflicts which was no hearing protection.
On the other hand, a decent set of ear plugs could be quite effective for the prevention of NIHL with a 2-cycle power tool, such as a weed wacker, and mine has a range in the mid 90's, if my phone app is accurate. Then again, at this point I don't rely on them fully, and combine my ear plugs with a set of ear muffs to be sure I am taking the best precautions to prevent any further damage. With this regimen I can mow the lawn, weed trim, and use the blower for a little over 2 hours, and my ears have no increase in T or other symptoms.