San Diego

A small spill of radioactive material Monday afternoon in a lab at the UC San Diego Medical Center exposed a worker to radioactivity and required the evacuation of nearby offices, a San Diego Fire Department spokeswoman said.

The spill of two millimeters of potassium chloride occurred while the lab worker, who was not identified, was transferring the material between beakers, the spokeswoman said. An initial report to the Fire Department indicated that two liters had been spilled, resulting in a first-alarm response with an engine company and the department’s hazardous materials unit.

The worker received minor exposure to radioactivity and is being tested today for after-effects, the spokeswoman said. The Fire Department assisted UCSD officials in cleaning up the spill.