Table 1 Articles published in the English language pertaining to thoracic injuries caused by rubber and plastic "less-lethal" impact munitions (1972–2009)

Shaw J.

1972

Rubber

150 g/

116.5 m/s/*

27.4

3^

No

Lung contusion (3)

All survived

Millar R.

1975

Rubber

140 g/73 m/s/*

*

90/18

No

Lung contusion(5),

pneumothorax(1), rib fracture(2)

All survived

Sheridan S.

1983

Plastic 135 g/*/*

*

147/21

*

*

*

Rocke L.

1983

Plastic/*/*

*

99/10

No

Lung contusion(7),

rib fracture(1)

All survived

Ritchie A. 1990;1992

Plastic 134.5 g/69.4 m/s

*

123/70

Yes

Lung contusion,

hemo-pneumothorax,

rib fracture,

sternum fracture,

myocardial contusion, cardiac tamponade.

5 Deaths

Walden R.

1990

Plastic/*

*

1/1

Yes

Arterial embolization.

Survived

Missliwetz J. 1991

Plastic pellets 1 g/302 m/s/

694J

4.5

4/1

Yes

Soft tissue injury

Survived

Yellin A.

1992

Plastic 8.5 g/*/*

*

26/26^•

Yes

Lung contusion (18) rib fracture (8), hemo-pneumothorax (6), cardiac injury (3) sternal fracture (1), scapula fracture (1), vascular injury (5), esophageal injury (1)

1 Death

Hiss J.

1997

Rubber and steel/15.4 g/100 m/s/41.5 J and Plastic 0.85 g/1225 m/s/663.7 J

*

17/2

Yes

Lung and heart lacerations

2 Deaths

Voiglio E.J

1998

Rubber pellets/*/*

Contact

1/1

Yes

Hemothorax, rib fracture, cardiac laceration.

Died

Chute DJ

1998

Plastic 79.4 g/74 m/s/220 J

*

1/1

No

Hemothorax, rib fracture, lung laceration, cardiac laceration

Died

Steele J.A

1999

Plastic

135 g/70 m/s/332 J

*

155/25

*

*

All survived

Mahajna A.

2002

Rubber

48 g/130 m/s/46 J and 17 g/78 m/s/33 J

30–80

152/39

Yes

Lung contusion and rib fracture (8), pneumothorax (6), hemothorax (4), cardiac tamponade (1), cardiac contusion (1), vascular injury (1)

All survived

Kalebi A.

2005

Rubber pellets */*/*

*

1/1

Yes

Hemothorax, lung laceration, rib fracture

Died

Hughes D.

2005

Plastic 98 g/64 m/s/244 J

*

28/7

No

Lung contusion

All survived

Wahl P.

2006

Rubber 28 g/*/200 J

2

2/1

No

Lung contusion, cardiac contusion

Survived

Maguire K. 2007

Plastic attenuated energy 28 g/*/200 J

*

13/2

No

Pneumothorax (1)

Survived

Chowaniec C. 2008

Rubber 8 g/94 m/s/40 J and pellets 0.3 g/215 m/s/7.3 J

*

1/1

Yes

Hemothorax, lung laceration, cardiac laceration

Died

Rezende-Neto J. 2009

Rubber attenuated energy 19 g/130 m/s/

200 J

2

1/1

Yes

Pneumothorax, lung laceration

Survived