Type of Blast Injury
There are four major types of blast injury:
1. Primary blast injuries
Primary blast injuries result directly from the effects of the abnormal ambient pressure generated during the blast wave.
The magnitude of the peak over-pressure and the duration of the blast wave correlates with the risk of primary blast injury [3].
2. Secondary blast injuries
The air around the blast is displaced by the wave of over-pressure resulting in high-velocity blast winds.
Loose objects are displaced and become projectiles that have the potential to cause both blunt and penetrating injuries.
These secondary blast injuries form the most common type of injury following an explosion.
3. Tertiary blast injuries
Tertiary blast injuries are the result of the impact of people themselves against other structures when displaced by the blast wave or winds.
They are usually blunt injuries but may include impalement.
4. Quaternary blast injuries
The quaternary (or miscellaneous) blast injuries include those injuries not attributable directly to the blast itself, but which result from the effects of the blast.
They may include burns, inhalational injury and crush injury following building collapse.