Other Blast-resistant Options

Not everyone who encounters a bomb will be fully garbed in a blast-resistant suit. An exposed turret-gunner in an armored vehicle that's passing a roadside bomb is at as great a risk as an EOD technician tasked with approaching and disarming a similar device. Both must wear blast-resistant clothing -- but different kinds to fit their needs. Law enforcement officers and FBI officials will also need to protect themselves on the job. No matter what type of bomb they may encounter -- pipe bomb, letter bomb, truck bomb or unknown explosive device -- local law enforcement agencies and the FBI must risk their lives to disable the weapon.

Humanitarian relief workers also need protection when demining a landmined nation or delivering supplies to the people who live there. Two protective accessories they use include anti-mine boots and demining aprons.

landmine victim
Mauricio Duenas/AFP/Getty Images
Edgar Moreno, victim of a landmine blast, places a flag bearing the words "No more anti-personnel mines" on a heap of shoes in Bogota, Colombia.

Anti-mine boots are used by those who demine minefields or who must work near or pass through heavily mined areas. These boots have soles that are several inches thicker than those of regular boots. Tabre is another material that's sometimes used in soles. Tabre is constructed from tiny, resin-coated grains of stone and is designed to diffuse the force of the blast. When the shock wave strikes the network of tiny stones, its energy is forced through the maze they form, which releases and decreases energy [source: BBC]. Boots may also incorporate materials like steel plates as well as Kevlar to protect the foot against penetration from shrapnel or debris.

Demining aprons are also used in humanitarian missions -- often carried out by the United Nations -- that involve clearing of heavily mined areas within war-torn nations. The demining apron provides protection where a person needs it most: in the front, neck, shoulder and groin area. Much like a chef's apron, there is no back to this garment (the wearer doesn't need protection from the rear), which cuts down on its weight and excessive heat it generates.

Other Blast-resistant Developments
In addition to protective garments that EOD technicians can wear, there are also some protective and preventative devices that can make public spaces safer.
  • Buildings can be reinforced with Paxcon, a polymer that is sprayed on walls to strengthen surfaces against blasts and to hold broken pieces in place if a projectile strikes [source: Sofge].
  • Blast doors, constructed with two steel plates that sandwich a cavity containing a steel rebar grid that's backfilled with concrete, can be sealed to keep out chemicals -- even liquid napalm.
  • Blast-resistant glass and blast curtains hold broken shards in place to protect people inside a bombed building as well as people outside the building, who can be struck with debris when the blast wind hits. The curtains are also fire-retardant.
  • Bomb blankets deflect the force of a blast and prevent fragments of the bomb from striking bystanders.
  • Bombproof buses are being developed in Israel to limit the carnage caused by suicide bombers who detonate explosives after boarding a bus. Many buses are already armored and feature blast-resistant windows. Special turnstiles, exit-only backdoors and bomb sensors are also being tested.
  • Bombproof trashcans diffuse the force of the blast, preventing fragmentation from injuring bystanders and directing the blast upward instead of outward.

In the next section, we'll take a look at some of the blast-resistant materials and technologies of tomorrow and beyond.