Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 2, 2025
06:00
Author Spotlight: Deciphering the Long-Term Effects of Low-Level Blast Exposures in Mice
Published on: May 24, 2024
987
Cumulative Blast Exposure Estimate Model for Special Operations Forces Combat Soldiers
Cory B McEvoy1,2, Adam Crabtree1, Jacob R Powell3,4
1United States Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, USA.
Journal of Neurotrauma
|August 8, 2022
Summary
Special Operations Forces (SOF) members face frequent blast exposures. This study measured occupational blast exposures during close-quarter battle training to develop a cumulative blast exposure (CBE) model for neurological health surveillance.
Area of Science:
- Military Medicine
- Neuroscience
- Occupational Health
Background:
- Special Operations Forces (SOF) Service members experience frequent blast and overpressure exposures during training.
- The long-term neurological effects of cumulative subconcussive blasts remain understudied, with potential links to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases.
- A lack of ecologically valid occupational blast exposure surveillance hinders research on SOF Service members.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure occupational blast exposures in a close-quarter battle (CQB) training environment.
- To develop a pragmatic cumulative blast exposure (CBE) estimate model for SOF Service members.
- To inform future neurological health surveillance and research concerning blast exposure.
Main Methods:
- Four blast silhouettes equipped with wireless blast gauges were deployed in CQB training scenarios.
- Blast exposures were measured from flashbangs and three types of interior breaching charges (single strand roll-up, 300 gr ECT, Jelly charge).
- Mean peak blast pressures were calculated for each charge type, and pragmatic CBE estimates were developed.
Main Results:
- Mean peak blast pressures per detonation were recorded: flashbangs (1.97 psi), single strand roll-up (3.88 psi), 300 gr ECT (2.78 psi), and Jelly charge (1.89 psi).
- Pragmatic CBE estimates for SOF Service members suggest daily, weekly, and training cycle cumulative exposures of 36.8 psi, 184 psi, and 2760 psi, respectively.
- Empirical measures from CQB environments can estimate blast exposures during routine training.
Conclusions:
- Routine CQB training generates measurable blast exposures that can be quantified.
- The developed CBE model provides a pragmatic estimate of cumulative blast exposures for SOF Service members.
- Future research should expand exposure estimates to include operational blast scenarios and other military occupational specialties.
Related Concept Videos
02:59Biological Effects of Radiation
15.9K
All radioactive nuclides emit high-energy particles or electromagnetic waves. When this radiation encounters living cells, it can cause heating, break chemical bonds, or ionize molecules. The most serious biological damage results when these radioactive emissions fragment or ionize molecules. For example, α and β particles emitted from nuclear decay reactions possess much higher energies than ordinary chemical bond energies. When these particles strike and penetrate matter, they...
15.9K
01:17Clearance Models: Noncompartmental Models
100
Clearance is a pharmacokinetic parameter traditionally defined by compartment models, signifying the rate at which a drug is expelled from the body. However, a noncompartmental model offers an alternative method for assessing clearance, primarily employing empirical data obtained after administering a single drug dose.
The noncompartmental approach capitalizes on extensive sampling data, correlating the volume of distribution to systemic exposure and the administered dosage. This method enables...
The noncompartmental approach capitalizes on extensive sampling data, correlating the volume of distribution to systemic exposure and the administered dosage. This method enables...
100