Skip to content
  • (413) 834-4284
  • [email protected]
  • 21 Grinnell St, Greenfield, Massachusetts
Search
Close
Sprawl-busters
  • Home
  • About
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Books
    • Movies
    • Home Towns, Not Home Depot
    • The Case Against Sprawl
  • Victories
  • Blog
    • Share Your Battle
  • Contact
Menu
  • Home
  • About
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Books
    • Movies
    • Home Towns, Not Home Depot
    • The Case Against Sprawl
  • Victories
  • Blog
    • Share Your Battle
  • Contact
  • Uncategorized

Wal-Mart Stores Making People Sick—Literally

  • Al Norman
  • October 1, 2006
  • No Comments

Residents in Sturbridge,Massachusetts, home to historic Sturbridge Village, fought a Wal-Mart store for several years. The group Save Our Sturbridge (SOS) took the developer, W.S. Weiner, to court, but after a long battle, the retailer built its store. The thought of a Wal-Mart store in their rural community was enough to make people sick. Now that the store is up and running, the Wal-Mart is literally making people sick. This week, thirteen Wal-Mart workers and one customer were taken to hospitals because of exposure to carbon monoxide poisoning from gas pouring out of the retailer’s rooftop heater. This is the second such evacuation of a Wal-Mart store in Massachusetts in the past three months. On July 1st a Wal-Mart store in Danvers, Massachusetts had to be evacuated because of a chemical release. Sturbridge fire officials said the leak at Wal-Mart came from a vent system in the lawn-and-garden section of the store. A propane heating unit on the roof emitted the fumes. Workers in the store started complaining of headaches and nausea. By 10 a.m., the store’s carbon monoxide detectors went off, and the retailer began evacuating people. Emergency crews had to be called to the store (at public expense) and at least 3 people were vomiting in front of the store Others reported dizziness, headaches, and nausea, according to the Boston Globe. A Wal-Mart spokesperson told the Globe that the store’s evacuation “was a precautionary measure we took to ensure the safety of both our workers and customers.” The Danvers incident is still being investigated. In Danvers, the city’s hazardous material team had to set up a decontamination tent for patrons and workers.

Next time you’re driving along the Massachusetts Turnpike, stop by the local Wal-Mart store for some CO and groceries. Many of the activists in Sturbridge who fought this store, are likely telling their neighbors, “None of this would have happened if we had stopped Wal-Mart in the first place.” Now Sturbridge makes the national news because a big box store is making people sick.

Like this article?

Share on facebook
Share on Facebook
Share on twitter
Share on Twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on Linkdin
Share on pinterest
Share on Pinterest
Al Norman

Al Norman

Al Norman first achieved national attention in October of 1993 when he successfully stopped Wal-Mart from locating in his hometown of Greenfield, Massachusetts. Almost 3 decades later they is still not Wal-Mart in Greenfield. Norman has appeared on 60 Minutes, was featured in three films, wrote 3 books about Wal-Mart, and gained widespread media attention from the Wall Street Journal to Fortune magazine. Al has traveled throughout the U.S., Barbados, Puerto Rico, Ireland, and Japan, helping dozens of local coalitions fight off unwanted sprawl development. 60 Minutes called Al “the guru of the anti-Wal-Mart movement.”

Leave a comment

Find Us

  • 21 Grinnell St, Greenfield, MA
  • (413) 834-4284
  • [email protected]

Helpful Links

  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
Menu
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Recent Posts

CHRISTIAN SMALLS, FIRED AMZN WAREHOUSE WORKER, FILES RACE DISCRIMATION LAWSUIT. …

November 16, 2020

DUE TO THE SURGE IN CORONA CASES, WMT IS LIMITING SHOPPERS TO 5 PER 1,000 SF. A…

November 16, 2020

AMAZON RECENTLY ANNOUNCED FREE 1 HOUR GROCERY PICK UP FOR PRIME MEMBER ORDERS &g…

November 15, 2020

AFTER BEING REJECTED BY THE DEERFIELD, MA PLANNING BOARD, DOLLAR GENERAL APPEALS…

November 15, 2020

WILL TRUMP ALLOW ORACLE & WALMART TO INVEST IN TIK TOK? The deadline to ban …

November 14, 2020

AMAZON ACCUSED OF BREAKING ANTITRUST RULES IN EUROPE. “Data of 3rd-party sellers…

November 14, 2020

WALMART PET CARE NOW SELLING PET INSURANCE. My 3 year old mixed breed cat would …

November 13, 2020

WALMART’S GOING TO THE DOGS. 90 M OF ITS CUSTOMERS HAVE DOGS. You’d be Goofy not…

November 13, 2020

WALMART CASHIERS STILL LOOKING FOR A SEAT. They won a $65 M lawsuit in 2019, but…

November 12, 2020

4 DAYS BEFORE THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION,THE CO-FOUNDER OF HOME DEPOT SAID: “Pres…

November 12, 2020

Recent Tweets

Al Norman 21 hours ago

TO COMPETE with AMZN Prime, Walmart is dropping its $35 order minimum for 2-hr. Express Delivery of groceries & other products. Unlimited free deliveries still cost $98 annual fee. https://t.co/gAPzWzZCxW

Read More
Al Norman 21 hours ago

HOME DEPOT made nearly $13 B in profits in the covid year ending Jan. 31st. The pandemic has been great for sales. It’s not because HD grew—it only added 5 new stores. More people working from home = more DIY customers. Pandemic = healthy profits. https://t.co/10v9jr23r0

Read More
Al Norman 2 days ago

DEAD ON ARRIVAL: “WMT’s board of directors approved a plan in November 2018 to build 4,000 [health]clinics by 2029...to become ‘America's neighborhood health destination.’” They pulled the plug. https://t.co/QMmOo1h9nK

Read More

Ⓒ 2020 - All Rights Are Reserved

Design and Development by Just Peachy Web Design

Download Our Free Guide

Download our Free Guide

Learn How To Stop Big Box Stores And Fulfillment Warehouses In Your Community

The strategies written here were produced by Sprawl-Busters in 2006 at the request of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), mainly for citizen groups that were fighting Walmart. But the tips for fighting unwanted development apply to any project—whether its fighting Dollar General, an Amazon warehouse, or a Home Depot.

Big projects, or small, these BATTLEMART TIPS will help you better understand what you are up against, and how to win your battle.