Many years ago the state (or maybe the county) inspector came to my office to do a routine inspection regarding waste. How it was handled, disposed of, documentation, etc. Back then we all used the old fashioned X-rays that were in a cardboard wrapper and were developed on site. Inside the package next to the film was a piece of lead to limit the radiation past the film. I was asked how we disposed of it as there was no set rule at that time. Being the smart a** I am I told him I threw it into the Gulf of Mexico. It is the truth. At the time I was melting it down and making fishing weights. WOW, the look on his face. He wrote a long paragraph in his report, but I never heard anything about it. I thought for sure there was going to be a problem.