fruit and veggie

Question

They are digging up waste land to build a new road not 5 min. from our house. They have uncovered a chemical that contains naphthalene. The smell for this chemical is like moth balls. I know it is poisonous but will we be able to eat the fruit and veggies in my garden or will I have to get rid of all my veggie and fruit trees.

Answer 1

As long as the soil from the location is not in your vegetable beds, then you are fine. The smell may reach you, but the chemical would be in such tiny amounts in the air that it would not be a concern.

I would however suggest that you check how the water shed in your area runs. If the location is uphill from you and you get water shed from the polluted location, this would contaminate your soil.