Fracture Patterning and Distribution in the Appendicular Skeleton of Pigs Resulting from Explosions: Implications of Blast Trauma in Forensic Anthropological Investigations of Human Rights Abuses

The use of explosives has become a predominant weapon in cases of human rights abuses. In order for forensic anthropologists to interpret and identify blast trauma in these scenarios, experimental studies on the fracture patterns and dispersion associated with an explosion are necessary. This study aims to examine the effects of a plywood wall and the inclusion of shrapnel materials on the manifestation of blast trauma on the appendicular skeleton in a sample of 32 euthanized wild pigs (Sus scrofa) that were positioned 5’ from the explosive devices. Shrapnel was found to increase the severity of trauma, while the plywood wall was determined to be insufficient to produce a different trauma pattern. Traumatic amputations of the lower limbs were observed in both groups. Size was a significant factor in explaining the total number of injuries to the appendicular skeleton such that smaller animals had more fractures than larger ones