Study links blast exposure to brain damage in US Navy veterans who committed suicide

A military study analyzing US Navy Seal veterans who died by suicide found patterns of brain damage linked to blast exposure.

The latest laboratory research provides additional evidence of the ways in which exposure to explosions can damage the brain, according to the New York Times first reported on Sunday.

The investigation came after the death of North Carolina Lt. David Metcalf, who committed suicide in 2019 after serving in the Navy for nearly two decades.

Before his death, Metcalf wrote a note about the brain injury symptoms he was experiencing. He also placed a stack of books on brain injuries next to him.

“Hates in memory, failure of recognition, mood swings, headaches, impulsiveness, fatigue, anxiety and paranoia were not who I was, but have become who I am. Both are getting worse,” Metcalf’s note reads in part.

Metcalf’s brain was later examined by scientists at the Department of Defense laboratory in Maryland. They found patterns of brain damage that were associated with people who had been repeatedly exposed to blasts.

Aspects of his case also recalled the concussion crises that have enveloped hockey, football, rugby and other contact sports, after researchers determined that the accumulation of hits that players absorb over the course of a typical career could have devastating consequences.

Eight other Navy veterans who committed suicide after serving in the Seals were also investigated by investigators.

Scientists found similar signs of blast damage in each brain, underscoring the consequences of blast exposure.

However, Navy officials were never informed of the conclusions of the studies, including Metcalf’s, the Times reported.

In a statement, the Navy confirmed to the Times that it had not heard anything about the lab’s findings. A Navy officer, who asked not to be named, expressed his dismay and frustration to the Times about not being informed of the study.

“That’s the problem,” the officer said. “We try to understand this problem, but so often the information never reaches us.”

Although the effects of blast exposure are not yet fully understood, experts have been concerned for years about the effects of continuous blast exposure on the brain.

The Pentagon and various military departments have attempted to… relation between “blast overpressure” and brain health. The Pentagon is also working on implementing several strategies that would reduce blast exposure among soldiers.

The effects of blast exposure gained increasing attention after scientists discovered that Robert Card, an Army reservist who killed 18 people in a mass shooting in Maine last year, showed signs of traumatic brain injury.

Card was repeatedly exposed to minor explosions due to his role as an instructor at an army hand grenade training range.

Dr. Ann McKee of Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center told the Times that more “research” was needed to fully understand the “risks of exposure to explosions.”

“I think these results should be a warning. We need to do more research,” she said.