As its distance increases from the epicenter, the blast wave loses energy and slows down, becoming an acoustic wave.
The brief blast wave travels faster than the speed of sound, radiating in all directions from the explosion site. The chemical reaction initiated by the fire likely detonated the fertilizer pellets, almost instantaneously converting them to a gaseous form and releasing energy estimated to be at least 3 times greater than that of the fertilizer bomb used in the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 that destroyed the Murrah Federal Building (Swanson & Tarrant, 2013). Ammonium nitrate, stored by the West Fertilizer Company, is classified as a high-order explosive this category of explosives is characterized by the presence of an immense positive-pressure "blast wave" upon detonation (CDC, 2003). The category and amount of explosive affect the type and distribution of resulting injuries. In preparation for working with individuals from West, Baylor audiology faculty reviewed pertinent literature for blast-related consequences, particularly factors that might increase the risk of long-term hearing loss. Faculty and students from Baylor's Communication Sciences & Disorders Department were among the multitude of volunteers who offered assistance afterward and just one group out of numerous health care providers volunteering to donate hearing-related services to citizens of West who were affected by the blast.Īudiologists working outside of Veterans Affairs (VA) settings in the United States rarely have extensive experience with blast-exposed patients. The small town of West (population, approximately 2,800) is Waco's neighbor to the north-about 20 miles from Baylor's main campus. Fifteen people were killed, including 12 first responders who were in and around the structure when it exploded conservative estimates placed the number of injured at over 200 (Ambrose, 2014 Swanson & Tarrant, 2013).
Barotrauma ear bombing windows#
The massive blast resulted in the destruction of 150 homes and damaged 200 more, breaking windows seven miles away in Abbott, Texas. On the night of April 17, 2013, a fire at a fertilizer business in the town of West, Texas, ignited a large supply of ammonium nitrate, causing an explosion that left a crater 93 feet wide and 10 feet deep, destroyed a nearby nursing home and apartment complex, and caused irreparable damage to West's intermediate and high schools. This article briefly reviews blast injuries to the auditory system and describes clinical insights gained by faculty and students from Baylor University while they were providing hearing health services in the wake of the industrial explosion in West.
Auditory injuries are among the most common primary injuries resulting from blast exposure however, hearing loss may be overlooked in the midst of more urgent concerns (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003 Myers, Wilmington, Gallun, Henry, & Fausti, 2009). In the aftermath of such devastating events, those injuries that are potentially life-threatening or immediately debilitating are given the most attention. Jeanne Dodd-Murphy, PhD, CCC-A Community Outreach Following an Industrial ExplosionĬommemorations in April 2014 of the 1-year anniversaries of the Boston Marathon bombing and the fertilizer company explosion in West, Texas, have once again raised public interest in blast-related injuries and their lingering effects on individuals and communities.
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