<P> A low concentration of a corrosive substance is usually an irritant . Corrosion of non-living surfaces such as metals is a distinct process . For example, a water / air electrochemical cell corrodes iron to rust . In the Globally Harmonized System, both rapid corrosion of metals and chemical corrosion of skin qualify for the corrosive symbol . </P> <P> Corrosives are different from poisons in that corrosives are immediately dangerous to the tissues they contact, whereas poisons may have systemic toxic effects that require time to become evident . Colloquially, corrosives may be called poisons but the concepts are technically distinct . However, there is nothing which precludes a corrosive from being a poison; there are substances that are both corrosives and poisons . </P> <P> Common corrosives are either strong acids, strong bases, or concentrated solutions of certain weak acids or weak bases . They can exist as any state of matter, including liquids, solids, gases, mists or vapors . </P> <P> Their action on living tissue (e.g. skin, flesh and cornea) is mainly based on acid - base reactions of amide hydrolysis, ester hydrolysis and protein denaturation . Proteins (chemically composed of amide bonds) are destroyed via amide hydrolysis while lipids (which have ester bonds) are decomposed by ester hydrolysis . These reactions lead to chemical burns and are the mechanism of the destruction posed by corrosives . </P>

What word is used to describe an acid or base that can destroy body tissue