Milhouse,
You are thinking 'green'...that's commendable. If the item being blasted had any lead in the primer or paint, the sand is now contaminated and considered hazardous waste.
They make a small, inexpensive test kit that's available at your local hardware to test for the presence of lead. I don't know if the paint or primer on your '55 contained lead or not, but the test kit may be able verify it for you.
California is about as regulated as it gets in this regard. I sandblasted two huge chip bins, but tested the paint before hand..it tested lead free, so I spread the used material around the yard and called it good.
How much energy you put into doing the 'right thing' depends on how involved the process is in CT, and how responsible you are.
Many times, the deciding factor in doing the 'right thing' is $$$$. Sweeping up the sand and disposing of it in small portions in your garbage would be rather innocuous. This is one reason people opt to take their blasting to a commercial outfit and let them deal with it.
Stuart
