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Pee-proof paint coated wall splashes back the urine on the urinator. A still from YouTube video. (Video below) |
Staff correspondent, July 27, 2015, NewsCrunch
Imagine. You pee on a wall. The wall has been coated with pee-proof paint. And it pees right back on you.
Not fiction. The fact? The special UV-coated pee-proof paint is so hydrophobic – dislikes water- that rather than allow pee to run down on it, it simply splashes back, wetting the pants and shoes of the unsuspecting urinator.
Originally developed by 'Nissan' to keep cars clean, the concept was first put to use against public urination in the St Paul red light district of Hamburg in Northern Germany. While copious alcohol consumption fueled spending in the district, the local communities found it also led to many party goers urinating in the public. Enter, the pee-proof paint!
The idea then spread. The Australian lawmakers publicly discussed the relevance and utility of the technology, while San Franscisco has gone ahead and adopted it.
Not everyone is thrilled with this however. Critics worry about the impact that pee-proof paint wall coverage could have on homeless people. And argue that the same money used for painting can be diverted to provide more public rest rooms.
Will pee-proof paint make its way to India? After all, public urination is very common here. The city of New Delhi even launched a billboard campaign against this in 2009. Well, we don't know. One key concern will definitely be the cost. Considering that it takes $700 to cover six square meter area with pee-proof paint, maybe we'll just stick to random inserting of tiles with images of Gods and Goddesses into our walls.