what kind of client needs land mines for south america? that sounds like a horrible project to work on - i hope you are ok with knowing that lots of people will be seriously injured or killed directly because of you.
btw, if rusting is the only issue then there are lot of other materials that will work. who care anyway, if it is just going to blow up.
It is ok to decline work for ethical reasons within reason I think.
But…If you have to do the work, I would try to make them in some way that they can be later found. If they are going to do them anyway, maybe you can at least slip in some design aspect that can prevent the leftover minefields of many countries around the world.
I spent some time in Cambodia in 01’ and people are still being blown up. Seeing someone with no legs crawling around in the street begging for money is a very aweful sight… and right now there is no easy way to clear the mines
Do the research and insist on a humanitarian way of preventing that. Or slip it in anyway.
My God people… this is obviously a troll. A portable landmine? As opposed to all the unportable ones? Made out of titanium? I don’t think so. Why would you make something that is blows up out of titanium? And also… let see… why would an industrial designer be picking materials for a land mine? An engineer would be working on this, and he or she wouldn’t be asking for advice on the internet.