The reason for this article is that so many people
are getting attacked nowadays as so many evil
people see acid as the punishment of sorts for
whatever they feel offended by. So many victims in
the aftermath have had their lives changed forever
because of this. The victims, mainly women, do not
have the prescience to know what is about to befall
them and they most definitely would probably have
fared better if someone had given them information
on what to do in the event of such an unfortunate
and unexpected eventuality.
are getting attacked nowadays as so many evil
people see acid as the punishment of sorts for
whatever they feel offended by. So many victims in
the aftermath have had their lives changed forever
because of this. The victims, mainly women, do not
have the prescience to know what is about to befall
them and they most definitely would probably have
fared better if someone had given them information
on what to do in the event of such an unfortunate
and unexpected eventuality.
What is an acid?
In chemistry, an acid is defined as a substance that
turns litmus red, neutralizes alkalis, and such things;
but for the purpose of this article, I will define for
the layman thus:
An acid, (at least the ones usually employed for
these dastardly acts) is a corrosive liquid that is the
equivalent of liquid fire.
Yes, it is fire and it sometimes does more damage
than fire itself. So have it at the back of your mind
that an acid is just fire.
Many people know that if your clothes catch fire,
you should drop, roll and try to smother the fire. But
people also need to know what to do if it is acid
that they have on them.
What to do if acid is thrown at you.
If you see any liquid thrown at you,(even if it's
water) especially at your face (because this is
usually the site targeted by assailants for maximum
damage), and you don't have time to duck and
dodge, do all these things in quick succession:
1.Use your hand to shield your face from the liquid
coming towards you at the same time close your
eyes. Flee and while fleeing from the source of the
attack, (because they can throw more at you) shout
for help as you flee and shout as loud as you can.
Now, this is the most important part so I have to
explain before I say the next steps.
Concentrated acid is highly destructive. To give you
a mental picture of what it can do, if a drop is
dropped on someone's hand, it will start burning or
"eating" the surface where it is dropped. If nothing
is done to halt its progress, it would continue till it
gets to the bone and if nothing is done still, it can
"eat" away the bone as well.
This is to show you the power of what you might
be dealing with.
If unfortunately you are hit by the liquid, what you
do, and do fast, will determine the outcome. The
key word here is WATER.
You need water, and you need lots of it.
2. As you flee, either shout for people to bring
water, or if you know a water source like a pool that
won't take too much time to get to like a running
tap, head there, if you see shops, grab water and
use, you really need water and you need it badly.
If you can get to running water, get there and put
the affected part under running water you need to
be under continuous running water for at least 30
mins. This might sound odd but don't rush to the
Hospital. It is the things you do immediately in the
aftermath that would determine how severe the
burns will be. You must be desperate to save
yourself and reduce future disfigurement. Water,
Water, Water. The mistake that people make is that
they douse water quite all right, but they douse just
like a cup etc and thereafter, head for hospital. The
acid will continue destroying the patient's tissue all
the way to the hospital and might even spread to
other parts because of the little water.
To buttress this point, Two female British teenage
charity workers had acid thrown at them in Zanzibar,
and luckily for them, they were not too far from the
sea so they dashed to the sea to wash off and
today, the only way you would know anything
happened to them is probably from slight skin
colour difference on the site of the acid attack.
3. Don't put anything like oils, creams, ointments
etc. as this might adversely affect the treatment
doctors will give you later. Water is all you need
before you get to the hospital.
4. Remove all the jewelry, clothing and apparel
which had contact with acid.
5. When you have done all these things, head for
hospital.
Prevention is better than cure though, so:
As a note of caution,
Be wary of someone coming towards you with a
cup, bottle etc.
Be aware and alert of your surroundings and of
people moving suspiciously around you.
Watch out for people who might bear a grudge
against you. And if you see them approaching
menacingly, run and alert people around as you do
so.
