Biological response to blast overpressure: a summary of modeling

A soldier in training is exposed to a variety of blast sources that can adversely affect his auditory and nonauditory systems. While auditory standards have been formulated for many decades, knowledge about nonauditory effects of blast have not been captured in a criterion that can be applied to all circumstances. For the past 15 years, JAYCOR, working together with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, has been using modeling, simulation, and data analysis to determine the nature of injury in animal models, capture that understanding in physiologically correct mathematical models, and extend the findings to objective criteria that can be used to set exposure limits. This paper summarizes the accomplishments of that effort.