Long story short, Acid bombs are a key tool for slowing people down and utalised by many.
Unfortunately, they harm neutral NPCs. More often than not, this has resulted in NPCs being killed or dragged into battles between players. There are slim few mobility denial options for mundanes, and this one causes a lot of issues simply because of NPCs getting thrown in the mix.
Very simply put, it shouldn't apply acid damage to non-hostile NPCs.
Alternatively, give us a usable item made by a tailor that's a ranged touch attack that simply gives someone a -50% move speed for 3 seconds. A bolo - a catch up device.