A—Characteristics and composition of the substance or material

1. Amount and composition.

2. Form, e.g. solid, sludge, liquid.

3. Properties: physical (especially solubility, specific gravity and density), chemical and biochemical (e.g. oxygen demand, nutrients) and biological (e.g. presence of viruses, bacteria, yeasts, parasites, etc.).

4. Toxicity.

5. Persistence: physical, chemical and biological.

6. Accumulation and biotransformation in biological materials or sediments.

7. Chemical and physical changes of waste after release, including possible formation of new compounds.

8. Probability of production of taints or other changes reducing marketability of resources (fish, shellfish, etc.).

B—Characteristics of dumping site and method of deposit

1. Location (e.g. co-ordinates of the dumping area, depth and distance from the coast), location in relation to other areas (e.g. amenity areas, spawning, nursery and fishing areas and exploitable resources).

2. Rate of disposal per specific period (e.g. quantity per day, per week, per month).

3. Methods of packaging and containment, if any.

4. Initial dilution achieved by proposed method of release.

5. Dispersal, horizontal transport and vertical mixing characteristics.

6. Water characteristics (e.g. temperature, pH, salinity, oxygen indices of pollution-dissolved oxygen (DO), nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, phosphate and suspended matter).

7. Bottom characteristics (e.g. topography, geochemical and geological characteristics and benthic macro-fauna).

8. Existence and effects of current and previous discharges and dumping in the area (including accumulative effects).

C—General considerations and conditions

F56[1. Interference with shipping, fishing, recreation, mineral extraction, desalination, fish spawning and nursery habitats, fish and shellfish culture, areas of special scientific importance, areas of natural or archaeological heritage importance, biological diversity (including diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems) and other legitimate use of the sea.

1A. Results of the National Seabed Survey.]

2. In applying these provisions the practical availability of alternative land-based methods of treatment, disposal or elimination, or of treatment to render the substance or material less harmful for dumping at sea, will be taken into consideration.