Naphthalene contamination from mothballs

My 2-story home was permeated the toxic off-gasing vapors from 2 lbs. of mothballs that were scattered throughout the crawlspace. The mothballs were removed after 10 days and air scrubbers w/activated carbon filters were used to remove the vapors from the air. Now the air in my crawlspace & in my house smells like burned tar (Naph is a petroleum product) and so do the contents, like clothing, bedding, furniture. I live in western NC. Does anyone have experience with remediation of Naphthalene from the contents of a home? I am not able to live in my house. Can anyone help me?

Where can I get more information?

For more detailed information see the Naphthalene Technical Fact Sheet or call the National Pesticide Information Center, Monday - Friday, between 7:30 AM and 3:30 PM Pacific Time (10:30 AM to 6:30 PM Eastern Time) at 1-800-858-7378 or visit us on the web at http://npic.orst.edu. NPIC provides objective, science-based answers to questions about pesticides.

Date Reviewed: December 2010

Thank you for the info site; however, I have spoken to NPIC and read everything I can find about Naphthalene. I still cannot find out how to rid the structure of my house and all the contents of the nasty Naphthalene odors. The odor comes & goes, probably due to humidity and temperatures, but overall the air in my crawlspace and my home still has the burned kind of odor, like tar or burnt motor oil. Fabrics absorb the odors differently and breathing these gases has caused an incessant cough.

I have not been able to live in my home for 2-1/2 months. It has been impossible to find a professional with experience in successful cleanup of Naph in a residential home contamination situation.

Who and why were the mothballs placed in the crawl space?

a plumber spread them throughout the crawlspace thinking it would be a good thing to keep mice and/or snakes out