The Effects of Explosions on the Body

An explosion is a sudden release of energy accompanied by radical changes in pressure, loud noise and possibly a flash of light. It may be caused by natural events, such as the buildup of gases in a mine, or deliberately artificial ones, such as nuclear fission. Explosions have both mechanical and chemical effects to which the human body is subject. Human injuries from explosions can be divided into many categories.

Pressure

• The pressure changes from an explosion can cause injuries such as rupture of internal air-filled organs, including the ear drums, lungs or intestines. These can occur both before and after the blast because of the wave of increased air pressure that the blast causes and the sudden reduction in pressure that follows the wave.

Impact

• Impact injuries occur when the force of explosion causes something to hit the body or the body to hit something. Objects in the blast zone, from broken glass to automobiles, are propelled by the energy of the blast and cause severe injury when they strike a human body. The human body can also be one of those objects thrown against other objects, such as walls and trees. The resulting injuries may be anything from simple cuts to multiple and catastrophic fractures.

Burns

• Explosions frequently cause fires and throw burning material in all directions. These fires can also cause chemical reactions that create materials that burn human skin. Radiation from a nuclear explosion can cause external and internal burns. Burns are some of the most painful and destructive injuries the human body can suffer.

Inhalation

• Explosions and the fires they cause can generate toxic gases that, when inhaled, can both burn the lungs and enter the bloodstream to injure the body internally. If the explosion is nuclear, radioactive dust particles can be inhaled.