Since World War II, researchers have been interested in exploring the injury mechanisms involved in primary blast on the thorax by using animal models and surrogates. These studies were mostly concerned with the finding of the lung injury threshold and the relationship between the physical components of the air blast‐wave and the biological response. Studies have also been conducted to investigate the effect of repeated blast exposures on the injury outcomes and threshold. This has led to several injury criteria, such as the Bowen’s Curves or the Axelsson’s Chest Wall Velocity Predictor. This paper aims at doing a critical literature review of this specific topic.