British Army weapons systems causing brain damage in soldiers
The MoD's leading expert on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) confirmed to the broadcaster that repeated exposure to blasts generated by some army weapons can injure the brain and lead to life‑long health conditions.
Those most at risk are those who have regularly been exposed to heavy weapons, such as mortars, some shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons, 50-calibre rifles and machine guns, or explosive charges.
READ MORE: Scottish policing will be 'seriously affected' by Trump visit, says police body
Lt Col James Mitchell told ITV News that previously in early campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, it was believed that the main cause of TBI and concussion among British soldiers were large munitions and impact blasts.
However, experts now believe that soldiers are suffering from brain injuries due to their own weapons systems.
'Over especially the last five to ten years, we're starting to appreciate the role of what we call low level blasts,' Mitchell explained.
He said these low level blasts were predominantly being caused by 'the exposure of our service personnel to blast over-pressure from their own weapons systems'.
Mitchell added that while exact figures are not known, 'thousands' of serving personnel have been exposed to harmful blasts.
It is believed that the figure is potentially even higher for veterans who may have been affected.
Heavy weapons used by British soldiers create explosions which produce a wave of overpressure, which effectively causes a spike in the surrounding air pressure above normal atmospheric levels.
(Image: RSA)
These blast waves can create a force so strong that it penetrates the skull and transfers energy to the brain which can cause microscopic damage to blood vessels and neurons.
Experts believe repeated exposure can overwhelm the brain's ability to heal itself, leading to serious long-term neurological damage.
It can be difficult to diagnose as symptoms of blast-related TBI overlap with those of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and can include severe headaches, visual disturbances, sensitivity to noise and light, memory loss, and a sense of personality change.
Scientists around the UK are now hoping to explore the potential causes of TBI, with financial support from the MoD.
The University of Birmingham has partnered with the MoD as they aim to study mild TBI and estimate what kind of brain damage veterans may have.
Professor Lisa Hill, a neuroscientist at the University of Birmingham, explained that when the brain is damaged, it releases biomarkers, biological clues that can help scientists understand what and where the damage is happening.
'If somebody gets injured, it changes the structure and function of the brain, but it also releases chemicals that you wouldn't normally see,' she said.
'So if we can measure things in blood or in their saliva, that can tell us how potentially bad their injury has been and what symptoms they might go on to get.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Democrats use new tactic to highlight Trump's gutting of Medicaid: billboards in the rural US
The road to four struggling rural hospitals now hosts a political message: 'If this hospital closes, blame Trump.' In a series of black-and-yellow billboards erected near the facilities, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) seeks to tell voters in deep red states 'who is responsible for gutting rural healthcare'. 'UNDER TRUMP'S WATCH, STILWELL GENERAL HOSPITAL IS CLOSING ITS DOORS,' one sign screams. The billboards are outside hospitals in Silex, Missouri; Columbus, Indiana; Stilwell, Oklahoma; and Missoula, Montana. The fate of rural hospitals has become a politically contentious issue for Republicans, as historic cuts pushed through by the GOP are expected to come into effect over the next decade. Donald Trump's enormous One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) cut more than $1tn from Medicaid, the public health insurance program for low-income and disabled Americans, insuring more than 71 million adults. 'Where the real impact is going to be is on the people who just won't get care,' said Dave Kendall, a senior fellow for health and fiscal policy at Third Way, a center-left advocacy organization. 'That's what used to happen before we had rural hospitals – they just don't get the care because they can't afford it, and they can't get to the hospital.' In response to criticism, Republicans added a $50bn 'rural health transformation fund' just before passage of the OBBBA. The fund is expected to cover about one-third of the losses rural areas will face, and about 70% of the losses for the four hospitals where Democrats now have nearby billboards. The rural health fund provides money through 2030, while the Medicaid cuts are not time-bound. That is already becoming a political football, as Democrats argued in a letter that the money is a 'slush fund' already promised to key Republican Congress members. 'We are alarmed by reports suggesting these taxpayer funds are already promised to Republican members of Congress in exchange for their votes in support of the Big, Ugly Betrayal,' wrote 16 Democratic senators in a letter to Dr Mehmet Oz, Trump's head of Medicare and Medicaid. 'In addition, the vague legislative language creating this fund will seemingly function as your personal fund to be distributed according to your political whims.' Rural hospitals have been under financial strain for more than a decade. Since 2010, 153 rural hospitals have closed or lost the inpatient services which partly define a hospital, according to the University of North Carolina Sheps Center for Health Services Research. 'In states across the country, hospitals are either closing their doors or cutting critical services, and it's Trump's own voters who will suffer the most,' said the DNC chair, Ken Martin, in a statement announcing the billboards. The OBBBA is expected to further exacerbate those financial strains. A recent analysis by the Urban Institute found rural hospitals are likely to see an $87bn loss in the next 10 years. 'We're expecting rural hospitals to close as a result – we've already started to see some hospitals like, 'OK, how are we going to survive?'' said Third Way's Kendall. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion A June analysis by the Sheps Center found that 338 rural hospitals, including dozens in states such as Louisiana, Kentucky and Oklahoma, could close as a result of the OBBBA. There are nearly 1,800 rural hospitals nationally, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a healthcare research non-profit. That perspective was buttressed by the CEO of the National Rural Health Association, Alan Morgan, who in a recent newsletter said 45% of rural hospitals are already operating at a loss. 'When you remove $155bn over the next 10 years, it's going to have an impact,' he said. In the fragmented US healthcare ecosystem, Medicaid is both the largest and poorest payer of healthcare providers. Patients benefit from largely no-cost care, but hospitals complain that Medicaid rates don't pay for the cost of service, making institutions that disproportionately rely on Medicaid less financially stable. In rural areas, benefit-rich employer health insurance is harder to come by; therefore, more hospitals depend on Medicaid. But even though Medicaid pays less than other insurance programs, some payment is still better than none. Trump's OBBBA cut of more than $1tn from the program over the coming decade is expected to result in nearly 12 million people losing coverage. When uninsured people get sick, they are more likely to delay care, more likely to use hospital emergency rooms and more likely to struggle to pay their bills. In turn, the institutions that serve them also suffer. 'This is what Donald Trump does – screw over the people who are counting on him,' said Martin, the DNC chair. 'These new DNC billboards plainly state exactly what is happening to rural hospitals under Donald Trump's watch.'
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Sir Chris Hoy's emotional plea answered as ‘staggering' response to cancer diagnosis emerges
Six-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer in 2024 and has been campaigning for more men to get checked since Sir Chris Hoy has seen one of his wishes come true as thousands more men are now getting screened for prostate cancer following his devastating diagnosis. The six-time Olympic champion revealed in 2024 that he'd been diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer after a routine check-up with his GP. The illness had spread from Hoy's prostate into his bones, leaving the cycling legend with just two to four years to live. Hoy was determined to smash the taboo surrounding cancer screening, having never been offered the PSA test that detects the disease - despite his dad and granddad both battling the same condition. Fresh NHS figures reported by The Telegraph reveal nearly 5,000 additional men have been referred for urological cancer checks in the six months since the 49-year-old went public with his news. The data shows 138,734 more males received urgent referrals for urological cancers - with prostate cancer being the primary type - between October 2024 and March 2025. This represents an extra 4,962 cases compared to the same period the previous year, a surge that medical experts are calling "staggering." Prostate cancer remains the most prevalent form of the disease amongst men, with roughly one in eight British males receiving the diagnosis during their lifetime. Separate data has revealed a significant surge in the number of men with a family history of prostate cancer checking their own risk, with usage of online risk checkers increasing by 77% over the same period. Despite his diagnosis, Hoy remains optimistic about his future and continues to fundraise and raise awareness for cancer charities nationwide. He recently launched Tour de 4, an initiative aimed at raising funds for cancer charities and changing perceptions of those living with the disease. Earlier this year, Hoy spoke about his desire for more men to come forward, as he said: "I've faced many challenges in my life, and going public with my prostate cancer diagnosis was certainly one of them. "I've been incredibly lucky to have so much support from my family, friends and the general public. The kindness has lifted me up and given me a sense of purpose. "I'm committed to taking that forward and using my platform to raise awareness of the most common cancer in men and help more men at risk to come forward and get tested." He added: "I was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer at 47. By this age, my prostate cancer was advanced and could have been progressing from when I was 45 or even younger. "With prostate cancer, the earlier you find it, the easier it is to treat. We need the system to change to enable more men to get diagnosed earlier, and stop them getting the news I got."
Daily Record
3 hours ago
- Daily Record
This Morning's Rochelle Humes fights back tears as she comforts tearful guest
This Morning hosts Rochelle Humes was left heartbroken when she was joined by a grieving family who spoke about the tragic family death This Morning presenter Rochelle Humes couldn't bear to watch one of her guests break down in tears live on air without stepping in to offer some form of comfort. The ITV personality, 36, is currently presenting alongside Dermot O'Leary this week, filling in for regular hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley during their summer break. During Monday's programme (July 28), they welcomed the family of Yvonne Ford, the British woman from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, who was scratched by a puppy whilst on holiday in Morocco and tragically died months later from rabies. Initially showing no signs of illness, she was taken to Barnsley Hospital after experiencing a "horrendous" headache, with her condition deteriorating rapidly within days. She started hallucinating, lost the ability to walk, speak or swallow, and developed hydrophobia. Once alarm bells sounded, doctors moved the grandmother-of-four to Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, where relatives were informed she had contracted the deadly disease, reports Wales Online. Her family are now determined to ensure Yvonne's death wasn't meaningless, campaigning to spread awareness wherever possible, beginning with a This Morning appearance despite their overwhelming sorrow following her passing on June 11, last month. Still grappling with their loss, husband Ron alongside daughter and neonatal nurse Robyn Thompson and her son Adam appeared on the ITV show to highlight the risks of rabies. Ron and Robyn portrayed Yvonne as a "massive animal enthusiast" with the "biggest heart", recalling that she hadn't been troubled or sought medical attention after a puppy had scratched her whilst on holiday in Morocco. Yvonne's husband had been detailing the circumstances and how her wound hadn't even bled, telling the presenters she'd appeared well and even danced through the night just weeks before her passing. As he spoke about his spirited wife who showed no symptoms, it all became overwhelming for Ron as he burst into tears. Rochelle, who was visibly moved as well, extended comfort to Ron by placing a hand on his shoulder as he buried his face in his hands. Allowing Ron a moment, Rochelle's co-presenter Dermot continued by speaking with Robyn about their motives for appearing, with the nurse explaining they simply wished to generate as much awareness as they could, to ensure other families wouldn't endure the same anguish they had suffered whilst witnessing their mum's tragic decline. Dermot said: "Thanks so much for coming in and you're in the fog of grief at the moment and you're trying to channel that grief through us," he thoughtfully asked: "What's the one message you'd like to get across today?" Adam added: "Check the rabies recommendations. I mean Morocco was only recommended. We don't want anyone to go through what we've been through seeing our mum go through the seven days of deterioration that we had. Get those injections." Ron went on to caution: "The World Cup is in Morocco in 2030, so anybody going just be aware."
