WASHINGTON — It's been called "the signature wound " of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Nearly 350,000 military personnel suffered some form of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) since 2000, according to the National Institute of Health.
Troops exposed to repeated blasts -- including those experienced during combat deployments and heavy weapons training -- may have elevated risks of migraines, PTSD, depression, hearing loss, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other conditions, according to a 2023 study by researchers from the Naval Health Research Center.
The Marine Corps said organs most susceptible to blast overpressure include the middle ear, lung, brain, and bowel, while the National Library of Medicine reports consequences for veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury include depression, with increased risk of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and suicide completion.
Now, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), has sent a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to request a review of the Department of Defense's efforts to identify, prevent, and treat TBI related to servicemembers' exposure to blast overpressure.
"The training we put a lot of our military through involves repeated use of firearms, which is good; we want that to be proficient. But sometimes, the hearing protection isn't what it should be and sometimes the volume is more than the hearing or the brain can bear," Kaine said in an interview with 13News Now back in April.
Kaine said it is critical that the nation protects its service members and veterans.
"This is something that people have been aware of, but it hasn't really been studied and kind of managed to try to make sure we're doing right by our folks," he said.
In April, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the "Blast Overpressure Safety Act."
The legislation would direct the Department of Defense to enact various measures to help mitigate and protect servicemembers from blast overpressure.