Metallic atmospheric corrosion is due to deposition of the pollutants found in the different phases of the atmosphere (especially in clouds, spray, rain and fog) onto the metallic surface, reacting with the substrate and leading to corrosion. Those pollutants are either organic or inorganic. Within the inorganic pollutants found in the atmosphere are NO 2 , SO 2 , NH 3 , HCI, CO 2 and O 3 . The organic compounds in the atmosphere, also known as volatile organic compounds (VOC), are several hydrocarbons and vapours of organic acids such as formic, acetic and propionic. In general, most of the pollutants contribute to the total acidity of rain in urban areas and it is estimated that the contribution of organic acids is about 35% of the total. VOC emissions can be either anthropogenic or biogenic; the average contents measured in the atmosphere for formic, acetic and propionic acids are about 8, 9 and 0.3 ppb respectively. On the other hand, organic acids appear related to corrosion products of lead, zinc, nickel and copper. A review of the published results on the effect of organic acids on corrosion of metals is presented.