Petroleum hydroxide

Petroleum hydroxide was a chemical used by the New York City Transit Authority to remove graffiti from subway trains. Nicknamed "Orange Crush" by graffiti artists, after the soft drink and as a reference to the defoliant Agent Orange, the substance was soon discovered to be highly toxic.

History

In 1977, the Transit Authority built a graffiti removal station in its Coney Island train yard, in an attempt to discourage graffiti artists. Costing the city $400,000 annually, trains were sprayed with petroleum hydroxide, after which the graffiti was buffed off. However, the buffing process often failed to completely remove graffiti, leaving a dull stain which many saw as much uglier than the original artwork. Those in contact with the chemical experienced nausea and breathing difficulties, leading to the closing of a nearby public school. The chemical also corroded the trains, and contaminated the city's water supply, through unsafe dumping. In 1985, transit workers were awarded $6.3 million for "health problems stemming from exposure to fumes from cleaning solvents."

External links

• "Urban Expression", a paper on the history of NYC graffiti.
• "Evolution of Rap Music in the US".