There is a detonation in your area and you take cover from material flying though the air; that is what most people think when they are in the vicinity of an explosion. Although individuals realize the immediate danger of the blast itself and flying debris, most people do not realize they are exposed to a very deadly situation where blast overpressure is taking place. There are several harmful effects that blast overpressure can cause on the human body. Blast overpressure is a lot more dangerous than material flying though the air and it is capable of causing traumatic brain injury. Additionally, it causes very damaging conditions to the respiratory system. To understand how blast overpressure is so dangerous, it is imperative to understand what it is.
When it comes to the topic of explosions, most people are not as aware of blast overpressure as they are about fragmentation material. Fragmentation material is the items that are thrown though the air at very high speeds from an explosion. The fragmentation is designed to cause injuries to the human body. Most of the time an individual is able to see and hear this material coming through the air. Contrary to fragmentation, blast overpressure is silent and can cause injuries inside the human body that cannot be seen externally. Stephen Wolf explains, “Although most blast-related injuries (eg, fragmentation injuries from improvised explosive devices and standard military explosives) can be managed in a similar manner to typical penetrating or blunt traumatic injuries, injuries caused by the blast pressure wave itself cannot” (406). Imagine ripples in the water, when you place a drop in the center there are waves that move out from the center point of the drop. This is similar to ho...
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... lobes of both lungs” (473). In layman’s terms, the lungs have been either ruptured from too much expansion or bruised. There is a very high occurrence of these damages due to the amount of explosives the enemy uses against the forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Next time you hear an explosion around you remember all of the damaging effects that it can have on the body, not just from fragmentation but the blast overpressure as well. The main issues blast overpressure can cause on the human body are very severe. First, blast overpressure is a lot more dangerous than material flying though the air. Second, it is capable of causing Traumatic Brain Injury. Finally, it causes very damaging conditions to the respiratory system. The next time you hear someone was in the vicinity of a explosion remember all of the factors that they have overcome to be where they are today
Collapsed lungs happen most often as the result of some sort of trauma to the chest. This trauma includes but is not limited to rib fractures, gunshot wounds, knife wounds, or a hard hit to the chest, often the result of car accidents. There are also nonviolent causes for lung collapses, such as damaged lung tissue which is a result from smoking or other unhealthy activities. Unhealthy hung tissue is weaker than healthy lung tissue so it allows the lung to collapse more easily. Underlying undiagnosed medical conditions such as pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, tuberculosis, and lung cancer could also be causes of a collapsed lung. Another possible culprit of a collapsed lung is air blebs, small air filled blisters that present themselves on the outer lining of some people’s lungs. When air blubs rupture, they have the capacity to cause atelectasis.
Anonymous. "What Happens When a Nuclear Bomb Explodes?" Www.sgi.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
main types of harm. (1) physical injury from explosions, fires, chemical burns, and toxic fumes.
In 2012, news reported of a man sustaining injuries when the battery of his vapor cigarette exploded while using it. The explosion resulted in severe injuries to his teeth, tongue and other parts of his
Pritesh has a previous medical history of asthma and has experienced right-sided haemothorax as he got hit by a hockey ball during a competition. Currently, the nurse suspects that Prithesh may be developing tension pneumothorax which is a life-threatening medical emergency (Brown & Edwards, 2012). Tension pneumothorax develops when a hole in the airway structures or the chest wall allows air to enter but not leave the thoracic cavity (Rodgers, 2008). The pressure in the intrathoracic space will continue increase until the lung collapses, place tension on the heart and the opposite lung leading to respiratory and cardiac function impairment, and eventually shock may result (Professional guide to pathophysiology, 2011; Rodgers, 2008). Tension pneumothorax usually results from a penetrating injury to the chest, blunt trauma to the chest, or during use of a mechanical ventilator (Brown & Edwards, 2012; Rodgers, 2008).
During the initial blast the A-bomb released about 85% of its energy as intense heat followed by a supersonic shock wave that is felt as a highly destructive high pressure air blast, which can easily demolish tall buildings, not to mention people. After the initial blast radiation covers the area, causing people, animals, and structures to practically disintegrate. Even years afterwards people were still dying and having health problems related to the radiation they were exposed to long before. There were many people that were strongly opposed to the using of nuclear weapons on Japan. But invading the is land instead of bombing would have taken perhaps 1 million us soldiers lives.
... as the heart, major blood vessels, and airways) toward the other side of the chest. The shift can cause the other lung to become compressed, and can affect the flow of blood returning to the heart. This situation can lead to low blood pressure, shock, and death.
Ryan, E. "A Case of Shell Shock." Canadian Medical Association Journal. 6.12 (1916): 1095-9. Print.
On April 17, 2013, the community of West, Texas, suffered a devastating and heartbreaking event in the evening hours. After a fire broke out inside the West Fertilizer plant, a massive explosion leveled the facility, caused millions of dollars in damage to surrounding buildings, and took the lives of over a dozen people. Sadly, the majority of those killed were volunteer firefighters who had responded to the fire and were unable to retreat to a safe distance before the explosion. Nearly 200 injuries were also reported to have been treated at local hospitals (Wood, 2013). The explosion was said to be caused by the combination of the fire and large stores of ammonium nitrate fertilizer at the plant.
One of the common diseases in the respiratory system that many people around the world face is emphysema or also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is a chronic lung condition where the alveoli or air sacs may be damaged or enlarged resulting in short of breath (Mayo Clinic, 2011). If emphysema is left untreated, it will worsen causing the sphere shaped air sacs to come together making holes and reduce the surface area of the lungs and the amount of oxygen that travels through the bloodstream, blocking the airways of the lungs (Karriem- Norwood, 2012). The most common ways a patient can get emphysema are by cigarette smoking or being exposed to chemicals, dust or air pollutants for a long period of time. Common physical exams reveal a temperature of 100.8 Fahrenheit, 104 beats per minute, a blood pressure of 146/92, and a respiratory rate of 36 breaths per min (Karriem- Norwood, 2012). (see appendix A.1,A.2, A.3, A.4 for complete proof.)
Yamaguchi reacted in the flight or fight situation. His reaction to the bomb falling was to drop and plug his ears to protect him as much as he could. He could have just froze, or ran away to flee from being in the bomb blast. Instead he knew he could better protect himself by crouching and plugging his ears. He could have ended up like many others that were in the bomb blast who had their bodies torn up and who staggered around and would not make it. When the second bomb blast happened, his first instinct was to pull himself up and go look for his family. This also was a flight or fight situation Yamaguchi was in. Even though he was hurt very badly from being in a bomb blast twice he still managed to pull himself up to check on his family. He found his family safe in a shelter, even though their neighborhood had been destroyed. Being in these bomb blasts increase Yamaguchi’s adrenaline rush. The adrenaline increased his heart rate developing the fight or flight
On August 6, 1945 the first atomic bomb to be dropped on a city destroyed Hiroshima, Japan and its people. Mr. Tanimoto, the pastor of the Hiroshima Methodist Church, was uninjured and with the help of Father Kleinsorge, a Jesuit priest, they managed to get people to safety at Asano Park a private estate on the outskirts of town. They consoled the wounded and also brought water for those who needed it from the river. Among those that were ill from the radiation of the bomb in Asano Park was Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura, a tailor’s widow, and her children. Miss Toshinki Sasaki, a young clerk, is suffering from a leg fracture and won’t be treated until weeks after the explosion. Dr. Masakazu Fuji, a physician, is unable to aid anyone else after the bombing due to his minor injuries when he fell into the river and was squeezed between two large timbers. On the other hand, Dr. Terufumi Sasaki, a young surgeon, remains the only uninjured doctor in the Red Cross Hospital and tends to the wounded, unable to leave his spot and or get rest for months after the explosion. Weeks after the bombing Japan begin to rebuild its city, but a new terror strikes: radiation sickness. The victims of the radiation sickness, such as Mrs. Nakamura us...
The explosion caused a fifteen foot wave that was detectable one hundred miles away. Any buildings near by were completely flattened to the ground. Anybody within forty miles away their windows were shattered. The explosion was so great that it sent all of the cargo on board such as peanuts, tobacco, twine, and bunker oil two thousand to three thousand feet in the air. It was so loud that the blast was heard one hundred
This unfortunate mishap demonstrates the dangers of radiation and the effects of exposure to high-energy particles and waves on the body. A single burst of radioactive energy can displace electrons within our very cells and make them incapable of working properly, leading to sickness and eventually death.
To begin with, the first type of hazard/exposure is fire and explosion. Fire is highly flammable and the vapor is heavier than normal air. It can travel for a considerable distance to source of ignition and flash back. Fire can be of 3 types: small, large and fire involving tanks or cars or trailer loads. An acute hazard can be the vapor/air mixtures that cause explosions. One way of preventing is to not open flames and sparks as well as no smoking. It is also preferable to take off reactions in clo...