A former Army corporal who claimed his hearing was affected after being exposed to excessive noise levels without adequate protection lost his Army deafness claim yesterday. The High Court in Sligo was told that Mr Edward Gethins (62), of Cartron Estate, Sligo, had 21 years' service and that during that time he had been exposed to excessive noise levels from weapons such as anti-tank guns, hand-grenades, and Lee Enfield Rifles. Mr Gethins joined the Defence Forces in 1975 and served until 1978, with three tours of duty in Lebanon.
He then left the Army for two years but re-enlisted at Finner Camp, Co Donegal, in October 1980 where he served until Wednesday of last week. The court heard that a "buzzing" in Mr Gethin's left ear had interfered with his lifestyle and he had difficulty getting to sleep. Mr Justice O'Donovan said Mr Gethins would have a cumulative hearing loss of one quarter of one per cent when he reaches 60 but this could be considered trivial and could not be attributed to excessive noise.