Biological effects of weak blast waves and safety limits for internal organ injury in the human body

One hundred and seventeen adult sheep of both sexes, each weighing 15.2-42.4 kg, were used for this study. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of the physical parameters of the waves to internal organ injury by exposing sheep to weak blast waves in TNT (trinitrotoluene) explosions, biological shock tube, and gun muzzle blasts. The results showed that the organ most sensitive to the TNT explosion was the lungs, whereas the upper respiratory tract was most sensitive to muzzle blast waves. The injury thresholds of overpressure were 29.0, 29.5, and 41.2 kPa for upper respiratory tract, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract respectively at a single exposure. Repeated exposure to 60 blasts reduced the injury threshold of the internal organs. The injury thresholds for upper respiratory tract, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract were 21.0, 18.0, and 40.4 kPa, respectively. The duration of overpressure of weak blast waves was 2.4-4.2 milliseconds, which did not significantly affect the severity of injury. The safety limits of weak blast waves to internal organ injury of human body were as follows: Ps = 37-3Ln.Tc.N/4(Tc.N < or = 1000) and Ps = 20.4(Tc.N > 1000). The results suggest that repeated exposures decrease the injury threshold of the internal organs. The safety limits proposed could protect 90% of the exposed population against internal organ injury caused by weak blast waves.