Introduction and Epidemiology

Abstract

When high explosives or nuclear weapons detonate, a tremendous amount of energy is released at an instant, and the pressure and temperature at ground zero soar in a dramatic fashion. The explosive force then rapidly spreads in all directions through surrounding media (e.g., air, water, soil, steel sheets), forming a high-pressure and high-speed energy wave, and this is explosion shock wave (blast wave). The abrupt movement of high-pressure gas from the firing of a cannon, supersonic flight, explosions from gas leaks, shock tube experiment, and other instances also generate similar shock waves. Bodily injuries caused by shock waves are hereinafter referred to as “explosive blast injury.”