La Jolla

A chemical spill at the Research Institute of Scripps Clinic left two researchers slightly injured Thursday afternoon, a Fire Department spokesman said. The two victims, whose names were not released, were rushed by ambulance to Scripps Emergency Clinic, after receiving minor facial burns from a small amount of trifluoroacetic acid and methylene chloride, said Mel Young, Fire Department spokesman. The chemicals’ fumes are hazardous, Young said, and the Fire Department’s hazardous materials team monitored the cleanup. The spill occurred in the institute’s molecular biology lab on North Torrey Pines Road. One burn victim was treated and released, and the other did not need treatment, Young said.