And yet another, another weird corrosion story (not synth related)

[IXQY at aol.com]

 Well, maybe not a corrosion story but perhaps the beginning of one?

 Back in the late 70's, my parents kept a metal flashlight on top of the 
refrigerator. I reached for it once and found that it was very very hot. The 
top of the fridge was warm, but the flashlight was "hot", so I don't think it 
had anything to do with the fridge. 

 After taking the flashlight apart, I found that the batteries (two C or D 
cells) had leaked and were also very hot. I asked my high school electronics 
teacher about this after it happened and his explanation was that the battery 
acid probably had a chemical reaction with the ink on the battery label.
 
 Would this be a a correct assumption?

 Thanks, I've always wondered about this....
 Andrew Sanchez