US Department of Defense
BLAST INJURY RESEARCH
COORDINATING OFFICE
Advancing Blast Injury Research to Protect and Heal Those Who Serve

Frequently Asked Questions

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Q: What is the definition of blast injury?

A: A blast injury is a complex type of physical trauma resulting from direct and/or indirect exposure to an explosion. To define the scope of injuries caused by exposure to blast, the Department of Defense (DoD) adopted the Taxonomy of Injuries from Explosive Devices, which provides a common framework for characterizing blast injuries within the DoD. This taxonomy assigns blast injuries to five categories – Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Quaternary, and Quinary – based on the mechanism of injury.

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Q: Do blasts cause concussions or mild traumatic brain (TBI) injuries?

Q: What type of injuries result from blast exposure?

Q: Does the Department of Defense (DoD) Blast Injury Research Coordinating Office (BIRCO) provide research funding?

Q: What is the role of the Department of Defense (DoD) Brain Health Research Program Coordinator?

Q: How does the Department of Defense (DoD) Blast Injury Research Coordinating Office (BIRCO) define Brain Health?

Last modified: 18-Jun-2019