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I don’t know how much explosive is in one of those grenades, But I reload my own cartridges and it is amazing the amount of power that is contained in even a minute amount of smokeless powder. Some of the pistol cartridges that I reload which are powerful enough to kill a horse, take only a couple of grains of powder, which is 4.6 thousandths of an ounce. It is also amazing how fragile our bodies actually are. So I doubt that the grenade was anything out of the ordinary.

I would agree with that. The hand is an amazing appendage, but the sheer engineering genius that is big physical part of what makes us human, gives up in durability to deliver that.

It doesn’t take much to blow up fingers. The hand can take some dramatic damage that can be surgically repaired from crushing, twisting fracturing and bending, but even a small amount of explosives to the hand seems to cause an outsized destructive effect to the hand (and the feet)

Knowing what I know, unless the life of someone was in peril, I would be disinclined to pick up any kind of explosive thing that was in an armed state unless I was damned sure I had time...and even then.

After I wrote my post, I suddenly realized those statements I made about explosive vs traumatic injuries were completely based on my impressions, not what the experts say.

I have worked in various aspects of healthcare, so I have a passing familiarity with a variety of things across the medical spectrum. I realized I had completely extrapolated what I knew, what I have experienced, what I have seen without knowing if it was even true. (generally not good to do unless you are aware you are doing it and can qualify it)

Anyway, I immediately got curious and thought "Is that true?" and looked it up. I came across a medical journal article: Patterns in Blast Injuries to the Hand

Here is the abstract:

Blast injuries to the hand are not just a wartime phenomenon but also quite common in rural communities throughout northern California. The purpose of this study is to review our experience with blast injuries in the community and review the most common patterns in an attempt to identify the pathomechanics of the hand injury and the reconstructive procedures that are required. This is a retrospective study of blast injuries to the hand treated between 1978 and 2006. Medical records, X-rays, and photos were reviewed to compile standard patient demographics and characterize the injury pattern. Explosives were classified based on their rate of decomposition. Reconstructive solutions were reviewed and characterized based on whether damaged tissues were repaired or replaced. Sixty-two patients were identified with blast injuries to their hand. Patients were predominantly male (92%) with an average age of 27 years. Firecrackers were the most commonly encountered explosives. Thirty-seven patients were identified as holding a low explosive in their dominant hand and were used for characterization of the injury pattern. The apparent pattern of injury was hyperextension and hyperabduction of the hand and digits. Common injuries were metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joint hyperextension with associated soft tissue avulsion, hyperabduction at the web spaces with associated palmar soft tissue tears, and finger disarticulation amputations worse at radial digits. Given the mechanisms of injury with tissue loss, surgical intervention generally involved tissue replacement rather than tissue repair. Blast injuries to the hand represent a broad spectrum of injuries that are associated with the magnitude of explosion and probably, the proximity to the hand. We were able to identify a repetitive pattern of injury and demonstrate the predominant use for delayed tissue replacement rather than microsurgical repair at the acute setting.

Keywords: Blast hand injuries, Injury pattern, Hand reconstruction, Mutilating hand injuries, Explosives

Any guy would talk about this subject (civilian aspect of this, not military} with another guy and both would understand innately that this is mostly going to involve young guys and firecrackers. Here was part of the result: "...Of the 62 patients, 92% were male with an average of 27 years age (range 12–64). Most cases (89%) resulted in injury to the dominant hand...

We know, because almost all of us (seems to be mostly guys who do this) have done stupid, sometimes incredibly stupid things that could hurt us. It is sometimes a wonder any of us made it to the age of 20. It seems like every guy has a story, most turned out okay, but some didn't. And some guys have a bunch. (I tell my wife boy stories of adventure coupled with stupidity, and she only shakes her head. She never did anything approaching the harebrained things we did. I think sometimes she thinks I make it up, but guys out there know...everyone has a story.

Anyway, I digress. I don't think they are modifying the gas canisters to cause injury.

“Some of the pistol cartridges that I reload which are powerful enough to kill a horse, take only a couple of grains of powder, “

YOU reload .22’s?

7000 grains to a pound. 4.6/7000 is .0066 lbs or 1522 charges per pound.

Your charge is 437.5 grn/ounce/4.6 grn or 95 charges per ounce, or .0105 ounces.....

Indeed, a small amount of smokeless powder, contained in a cartridge case has quite a bit of potential energy.

Explosives, on the other hand deflagrate nearly instantaneously creating a shock wave, unlike propellants which burn much much more slowly to produce controlled pulses of energy to drive a projectile vice destroy the container into fragments or create a shock /pressure wave.