Research on blast overpressure and its impact on brain health was the focus of a three-day meeting with NATO allies at Defense Health Headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia, last month.

At the request of NATO, Department of Defense Health Affairs hosted representatives from seven NATO countries from Nov. 16-18 to continue work on developing operational and research guidelines that will help allies advance their blast overpressure monitoring and research capabilities now and in the future.

Specifically, the goal is to establish expert recommendations to aid NATO countries and warfighters worldwide in developing their own blast overpressure monitoring and prevention programs, said Canadian Navy Lt. Peter Beliveau, one of the three leaders of the working group meeting.

Known as BOP, blast overpressure is the sudden onset of a pressure wave from explosions occurring with the use of shoulder-carried artillery and heavy armor in both training and deployment, in breaching buildings, and from improvised explosive devices. The bigger the explosion, the more damaging the pressure wave, the DOD has noted.

The relationship between blast overpressure and health and performance effects needs to be more fully understood so that appropriate monitoring and safety guidance can be developed. This maps to the DOD Warfighter Brain Health Initiativeopens PDF: Department of Defense Warfighter Brain Health Initiative - Strategy and Action Plan, which strives to identify, monitor and mitigate brain threats, such as blast overpressure, said Kathy Lee, lead at DOD Health Affairs for the Department's Warfighter Brain Health Initiative.

Current research has provided emerging evidence of adverse health and performance effects from blast overpressure ranging from headache, dizziness, ringing in the ears, a decrease in cognitive performance, and sleep disturbances, she said.

Some of the practical outcomes expected by this work "include improved personal protective equipment such as helmets," Beliveau said.

"Warfighter education will empower soldiers to modify existing tactics, techniques, and procedures to reduce blast overpressure exposure," he added. "Finally, the exposure monitoring approaches discussed may help facilitate the delivery of care to injured soldiers as required and in a more efficient and effective manner."

As part of a congressionally directed research effort on brain health and blast exposures, DOD Health Affairs and the Defense Health Agency have conducted studies that took place at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in 2021 and Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, this year.

[For more, read DOD Brain Health Initiative is at Work Across the Military]opens Health.mil article: DOD Brain Health Initiative is at Work Across the Military