Dozens of decades-old dental x-rays, some dating back to the 1970s, have been discovered washing up on Lake Erie shores in New York, prompting questions about improper medical waste disposal and potential HIPAA violations. Experts believe the radiographs were either illegally dumped or swept into the lake during a flood, highlighting the importance of proper dental record retention and disposal protocols.
- Over 20 vintage dental x-rays dating back to the 1970s have washed ashore at Cedar Beach on Lake Erie in Fredonia, New York.
- Dentists must retain patient radiographs for at least seven years after a patient's last visit, though some states require longer retention periods.
- Dental x-rays should be disposed of as biohazardous waste through licensed medical waste vendors, not standard trash, due to lead foil backing and patient privacy concerns.
- The discovery raises HIPAA compliance concerns since some x-ray packets contained patient names and identifying information still visible on the films.
- Improper waste disposal violates state solid waste regulations and can harm wildlife, waterways, and natural resources.
Something unusual keeps washing up on the shores of Lake Erie in New York -- dozens of decades-old dental radiographs. The unusual find was reported by WIVB.
“First, I thought it was just a fun, different thing, and now I’m finding quite the collection that I wasn’t planning on,” said Julie Bugaj, a resident of Fredonia, NY, who frequently walks the Dunkirk, NY, shoreline, who first discovered the x-rays in June 2026.
“Usually, I find fishing lures and random unique pieces of driftwood and stuff, a few pieces of beach glass, but this was definitely different,” Bugaj said.
To Bugaj’s surprise, the x-rays kept washing up onshore. So far, she’s recovered more than 20 x-rays, some of which date back to the 1970s. Some radiographs include people’s names (some of which she recognizes). “Some are completely full … you can see the writing on there. They’re still intact in the envelope; they’re only about an inch to half-inch type size, so very tiny, and some of them are kind of falling apart; they’ve seen better days. But they’ve been washing up mostly here at Cedar Beach,” Bugaj said.
When she first discovered the x-rays, Bugaj posted a picture of them on a Dunkirk, NY, community page. “When I found the first one, I just thought it was a random find that you can’t actually see anything on the films,” she said. “But as I was finding more and more, it was kind of interesting to see that, and now that I’ve collected so many, it’s starting to add up … which would be interesting to find out where they have actually come from, and why are we finding so many?”
It’s unclear how the radiographs ended up in the lake, whether they were purposely dumped or inadvertently swept out to the lake. Dr. Michael Ehlers, a dentist and president of the Eighth District Dental Society, told WIVB that the standard rule for retaining x-rays is seven years after a patient leaves a practice. But of the washed-up x-rays, Ehlers said, “These things are so old; my assumption is they’ve been in some kind of storage chart or somewhere, and my feeling is they were not disposed of by a dentist only because this is not how we get rid of things.”
“So my feeling,” Ehlers said, “is that someone just either dumped them or they were part of a flood and they ended up in the lake that way, but I find it hard to believe that one of my colleagues would do something like that.”
WIVB also contacted the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for a response. The agency replied that, “State solid waste regulations prohibit disposal of waste anywhere except at an authorized solid waste management facility. When wastes are not properly managed, they can find their way into waterways and wash up on shorelines. Litter can cause negative impacts to wildlife, waterways, and other natural resources. Proper waste management helps protect natural resources from these impacts.”
“Personal protection, such as gloves, should be used when handling waste. DEC encourages, promotes, and participates in beach cleaning events throughout the state which remove litter like this from the environment,” the statement continued.
WIVB also sought commentary regarding the HIPAA implications of the x-rays but had not received one at the time the news story was published.
For clinicians, this incident is a reminder to audit your own recordkeeping and disposal protocols. As a general rule, retain patient records, including radiographs, for at least seven years after a patient’s last visit, though some states may require you to keep records longer, especially those of minors.
Additionally, when it’s time to dispose of records and radiographs, don’t dispose of them through standard trash pickup. X-ray packets may contain lead foil backing (though Ehlers said he didn’t observe that material in the washed-up packets) and should be handled as biohazardous waste. Using a reputable, licensed medical/biohazard waste vendor with a documented chain of custody offers further assurance that patient identifying information has not been breached during disposal.
