Acid attack

An acid attack, also called acid throwing, vitriol attack, or vitriolage, is a form of <a href="/facts/Violent_crime/mysaVw1G">violent</a> <a href="/facts/Assault/yjdeRrsb">assault</a> involving the act of throwing <a href="/facts/Acid/FySU18n1">acid</a> or a similarly <a href="/facts/Corrosive_substance/7LXjT1XE">corrosive substance</a> onto the body of another "with the intention to <a href="/facts/Disfigurement/fJeqc4c0">disfigure</a>, <a href="/facts/Mutilation/zLqJmGeC">maim</a>, <a href="/facts/Torture/oTCUxY3x">torture</a>, or <a href="/facts/Homicide/DshYlIoD">kill</a>". Perpetrators of these attacks throw corrosive liquids at their victims, usually at their faces, burning them, and damaging skin <a href="/facts/Tissue_(biology)/H7CpML7A">tissue</a>, often exposing and sometimes dissolving the bones. Acid attacks can lead to permanent partial or complete blindness.
The most common types of acid used in these attacks are <a href="/facts/Sulfuric_acid/Wom6fymJ">sulfuric</a> and <a href="/facts/Nitric_acid/UDbwGp6s">nitric acid</a>. <a href="/facts/Hydrochloric_acid/HqItJlUT">Hydrochloric acid</a> is sometimes used but is much less damaging. <a href="/facts/Aqueous_solution/eRNr3MH2">Aqueous solutions</a> of strongly <a href="/facts/Alkali/s6NqPGSP">alkaline</a> materials, such as <a href="/facts/Sodium_hydroxide/xjtdYtq7">caustic soda</a> (sodium hydroxide) or <a href="/facts/Ammonia/MtLtJFtz">ammonia</a>, are used as well, particularly in areas where strong acids are controlled substances.
The long-term consequences of these attacks may include <a href="/facts/Visual_impairment/sFuqKj3n">blindness</a>, as well as eye burns, with severe permanent <a href="/facts/Scar/XSQ92JoG">scarring</a> of the face and body, along with far-reaching social, psychological, and economic difficulties.
Although acid attacks occur all over the world, this type of violence is most common in developing regions, particularly <a href="/facts/South_Asia/7gTqe3hY">South Asia</a>. It is often a form of <a href="/facts/Gender-based_violence/cKUUyNXp">gender-based violence</a>, with "a disproportionate impact on women" according to <a href="/facts/Acid_Survivors_Trust_International/wGFgD7mN">Acid Survivors Trust International</a> (ASTI). However, in countries such as the <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom/kuPAILt2">United Kingdom</a> where acid attacks are associated primarily with <a href="/facts/Gang_violence/Wj4omovT">gang violence</a>, the majority of both perpetrators and victims are male.

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Acid attack