Generally, ships are removed from the fleet by going through a process known as ship breaking or scrapping.[52] Ship-owners and buyers negotiate scrap prices based on factors such as the ship's empty weight (called light ton displacement or LDT) and prices in the scrap metal market.[53] In 1998, almost 700 ships were scrapped in places like Alang, India and Chittagong, Bangladesh.[52] This is often done by 'beaching' the ship on open sand, then cutting it apart by hand with gas torches, a dangerous operation that results in injuries and fatalities, as well as exposure to toxic materials such as asbestos, lead, and various chemicals.[54][55][56] Half a million deadweight tons worth of bulk carriers were scrapped in 2004, accounting for 4.7% of the year's scrapping.[6] That year, bulk carriers fetched particularly high scrap prices, between $340 and $350 per LDT.[51]