Which chemical burn tends to 'burn on contact' and can cause bleeding and perforation of the stomach?

• A. Oxidizers
• B. Alkalis
• C. Bases
• D. Acids

Answer: (D)

Acids are the caustic agents that typically cause an immediate on-contact burn. When acids touch tissue, they rapidly coagulate proteins, which creates a surface eschar but can still erode underlying layers if the exposure is strong enough. In the stomach, a strong acid can injure the mucosa quickly, causing bleeding and, with substantial injury, perforation of the stomach wall. This “burn on contact” pattern is what distinguishes acids from other caustics.

Alkalis, or bases, tend to cause liquefactive necrosis, which allows deeper penetration into tissues and a higher risk of perforation, but their injury pattern isn’t described as burning on contact in the same immediate way. Oxidizers cause tissue damage through oxidative reactions, not the characteristic immediate burning on contact described here.

So the option that best fits the described scenario is acids.