If lead is found in a child's blood but the house has been gutted, what is the next likely source of lead?

When lead is detected in a child's blood, even after a house has been gutted, soil contamination often emerges as a significant potential source. Lead is a persistent environmental contaminant, and it can remain in the soil long after a building has been renovated or demolished. This contamination can occur from various historical sources, such as lead-based gasoline, industrial emissions, or previous use of lead-based paints that have flaked off and settled into the soil.

Children can be exposed to lead through several pathways, with the soil being particularly hazardous if they play outdoors or if dust from the contaminated soil is tracked inside. Soil near homes, especially older ones, may contain lead levels that pose health risks, particularly to young children who are more vulnerable to the effects of lead exposure due to their developing bodies and behaviors, such as hand-to-mouth activity.

While household dust can also be a source of lead exposure, it is less likely in this scenario since the house has been gutted, which would have significantly reduced dust burden. Similarly, while indoor paint and old plumbing fixtures can be sources of lead, they would not apply in a gutted house. Therefore, soil contamination becomes the most probable next source of lead exposure for the child.