including the following: blast mines, which burst on contact, are usually small and may injure only the unfortunate person who steps directly onto the mine; bounding mines rocket to a height of several feet above ground before blowing up, thus, frequently injure nearby bystanders as well; directional fragmenting mines can propel shrapnel as far as 200 meters. Information concerning the extent of the worldwide land mine problem is found in the following publications, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference: "Land Mines: Horrors Begging For Solutions," Chemical & Engineering News, Mar. 10, 1997, pp. 14-22; "Minefields, Literal and Metaphoric," U.S. News & World Report, pp. 39-41, Feb. 3, 1997.
Land mines first came into widespread use during World War II. These early designs used relatively large amountsof explosive (on the order of 300 grams or more) and were designed to kill. Later, in the 1960's, land mines designed to maim and disfigure rather than to kill became available. These new designs typically use much smaller amounts of explosives (on the order of 100 grams) that are sufficient to kill only small children, but can severely maim an older child or an adult.
Land mines have become the antipersonnel weapon of choice for many rebel forces, particularly in places such as Afghanistan, Cambodia, Mozambique, and Zaire. Land mines are deployed whenever and wherever there is a possibility of inflicting injury to humans, combatants and noncombatants alike: in roads, in harbors, at airports, railroad stations, and other places where large numbers of people congregate, and even on