Corrosives are materials that can attack and chemically destroy exposed body tissues. Corrosives can also damage or even destroy metal. They begin to cause damage as soon as they touch the skin, eyes, respiratory tract, digestive tract, or the metal. They might be hazardous in other ways too, depending on the particular corrosive material.
Most corrosives are either acids or bases.
Common acids include hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, chromic acid, acetic acid and hydrofluoric acid. Other chemicals can be corrosive too. Check the supplier labels on chemical product containers. It is wise to treat unknown materials as very hazardous until they are positively identified. Corrosive materials are present in almost every workplace.