Because they deny the area to you as well. Cleaning up a minefield is child's play compared to dealing with nerve agents.
From a tactical perspective, the minefield is easy to clear.
In terms of long-term effects, the mines are definitely worse. We are still finding mines from World War II all over Europe, and it’s a huge problem in Korea as well.
It hasn't been exclusively some guys burying them one by one by hand since WW1.