Area resident: Childhood lead poisoning has declined steadily since the 1970s, when leaded gasoline was phased out an...

SamA on October 16, 2019

Hello @Meredith,

When we see an answer choice that says "takes for granted," we need to ask ourselves if the argument requires that that statement be true.

The conclusion says that if we eliminate lead paint in the homes where it remains, we can eradicate childhood lead poisoning. For this to be possible, do we need children to live in each and every one of these houses? No, we do not. What if there are children in only half of these houses? Removing lead paint from all of them will still protect these children from exposure.

The real problem with this argument is that it assumes that leaded gasoline and lead paint are the only possible causes of lead poisoning. There may be other exposure risks that cannot be eliminated by removing lead paint from the remaining 25% of households.