Difficult to Curb Access

By Yong Check Yoon

WITH reference to “Acid Attacks: Solve the Problem of Easy Access” by S. Parameswaran of Kuala Lumpur, I would say that it is impossible to curb the availability of corrosive substances, such as acids in this case.

It is because sulphuric acid can easily be obtained from shops that sell car batteries; and hydrochloric acid can be obtained from hardware stores as it is used for removing hardened cement from ceramic tiles or plastic surfaces.

There are also strong alkalis such as caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) or caustic potash (potassium hydroxide) to worry about and they, too, cannot be controlled because they are used for cleaning.

Hence, it is not whether such dangerous chemicals are available but how we use them without endangering the people around us.

YONG CHECK YOON

Penang

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