DU is used in alloy form in shells to make them penetrate targets better. It is extremely dense, 1.7 times as dense as lead. As the shell hits its target, it burns and releases uranium oxide into the air. The poisonous and radioactive uranium is most dangerous when inhaled into the body, where it will release radiation during the life of the person who inhaled it. According to Robert Fisk of the Independent newspaper in London, there is evidence that the depleted uranium residue left in Iraq is responsible for a large increase in stillbirths, children born with defects, childhood leukemia and other cancers in southern Iraq near Basra, where most of these shells were fired.
Land mines are cheap, devastating, and increasingly popular in today's regionalized conflicts.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, they kill or maim between 1,000 and 2,000 people every month. 100 million land mines now lie in wait around the world. Most victims are civilians in peace time. The Save the Children Fund has repeatedly stated that children are especially vulnerable to anti-personnel mines. Childhood occupations, such as herding, expose them to greater danger.