Environmental Chemist

Waste, consumption and pollution are a few of the rapidly growing environmental problems facing our society. Yet what happens to all of our chemical waste, such as an industrial cleaner after you pour it into the sink? What about shampoo and conditioner once you rinse it out of your hair? When you see black smoke pouring out of the chimney at an industrial complex, what impact is it having on the atmosphere? These are the types of questions studied routinely by environmental chemists. The fate and effects of chemicals on the environment are matters of increasing concern to those specializing in the management of our environment.

Environmental chemistry is a general term. In fact, most chemists in the field would probably describe themselves more specifically by the work they do. This may be collecting and analyzing samples, developing remediation programs, changing production processes to ones that yield a more environmentally friendly product, advising on safety and emergency response, or dealing with government regulations and compliance issues.

Accordingly, many environmental chemists conduct research, design systems, processes and equipment for air, water and soil quality control, solid waste disposal, and the remediation of contaminated soil, air and water. They develop strategies to reduce pollution at the source and treat wastes that cannot be eliminated. Applying chemistry theories, they calculate the impact of human activity in relation to the environment and seek to design methods of environmental sustainability, conservation and protective efforts and reparations if necessary.

Environmental chemists investigate the sources, fate, control and effects of chemicals in the natural and engineered environment. They are responsible for environmental protection and industry regulations. Environmental chemists also coordinate with other disciplines and sub-disciplines such as geochemistry, limnology, oceanography, toxicology, hydrogeology, health and safety and environmental engineering. Some of their duties may include responding to environmental emergencies, reviewing permit applications, monitoring stream contamination, assessing pollution potential, providing technical advice regarding hazardous waste disposal and treatment methods, and evaluating risk potential of wastes.

Environmental chemists try to clean up yesterday's waste and prevent tomorrow's pollution. Additionally, environmental chemists help reduce the strain on natural materials through creating synthetic replacements, more efficient processing, and new recycling technologies. It is common for environmental chemists to work with environmental engineers, planners, hazardous waste management technicians and other engineering specialists as well as lawyers and bankers.

Environmental chemists perform research and conduct experiments in laboratories and in offices on computers, testing and predicting possible environmental problems and generating solutions. They evaluate each project to find the most cost-effective solutions to problems while still maintaining recognized scientific methods and government standards.



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