http://www.JobSpectrum.org/job_environ.html Environmental Chemistry- Career Brief |
The fate and effects of chemicals on the environment are matters of increasing concern to those specializing in the management of our environment. Fate involves studying where chemicals show up in streams, rivers, and air. The environmental pollution contain certain molecules that have not been removed in water treatment plants, caught by the filters in industrial smoke stacks, disposed of properly, or have leaked out of their containers. Whatever the cause, environmental chemists study how the chemicals travel into the environment and their effects.
Sheehan, who has worked in the field more than almost 20 years, says chemistry's role in environmental management will continue to increase in the future. "Industry is moving into a more proactive mode. We are working to ensure that chemicals are handled more responsibly from the time of manufacture." For many chemical companies, this may involve redeveloping a chemical product to come up with functional groups or compounds that are less noxious in the environment. For example, explains Leo Manzer, director of the corporate catalysis center at DuPont, his company used catalysts to develop a new production process for methylisocyanate, a highly flammable and hazardous material that is dangerous to transport. The new production process allows the chemical to be manufactured on the site where it is used, thus avoiding shipping and storing.
Environmental chemists may be involved in analytical testing, new product development in the lab, field work with users of chemicals, and as safety and regulatory issue advisors. Many opportunities exist for movement into different areas of expertise, often outside the lab. Many chemists return to school to study public policy, law, or business using their interest in or aptitude for chemistry, but applying it in new ways. For example, knowledge of chemical processes is often vital for the individual working in the regulatory affairs department of a company who must ensure that the company complies with government regulations. Environmental management is becoming a popular career track. Also, students who hold degrees in environmental sciences are beginning to compete for jobs traditionally held by geologists, biologists, and chemists. Chemistry students interested in applying their training to an environmentally-oriented job are encouraged to take courses in environmental studies. Potential employers look favorably on this as a good indication of your interest and your ability to think in an interdisciplinary manner. Most environmental chemists emphasize that a solid foundation in chemistry
is important to their work and advise dedicated students to continue in
chemistry. Dan Lusardi, manager of research and field support at Betz
Laboratories Inc., says that in this field, it is important to get the
basics and then branch out.
Designed to initiate reactions with other chemicals in order to achieve a desired outcome, catalysts are often used to treat hazardous materials. When passed over a catalyst, organic or toxic elements are filtered out. Catalysts are also built into a manufacturing process to improve the overall yield. "This is important when it comes to the environment," says Manzer. "Say your annual production of a chemical is one billion pounds. If you have a process that gives you a 99% yield, that may seem like a good number. But over the year it means you are making approximately ten million pounds of waste. Adding a catalyst can give you 100% yield, no waste, and no environmental problems in the process." Catalysts are also being used in entirely new production processes. When developing replacements for chlorofluorocarbons, for example, DuPont brought Manzer in to assist with the organic chemistry in developing a catalyst to synthesize tetrafluoroethane-a material chosen from 800 potential candidates to replace CFCs. Jack Sheehan, Resource Management "In the future, environmental management will see an increasing emphasis on chemistry," says Jack Sheehan, director of regulatory and operating services at Rhone-Poulenc. Sheehan is a chemist who began to focus on the environment early in his career. In the 1970s, he worked for Stauffer Chemical (now part of Rhone-Poulenc) to gather data on environmental pollutants. "The severe problem we faced at that time was mercury," he says. "It was collecting in the vicinity of chlorine and caustic plants and was beginning to show up in fish." His data were used by the company's engineering department to design first-generation, pollution-abatement systems. Having been involved in the environmental area for more than two decades, Sheehan says he sees real changes ahead. "In the beginning, our work was focused on helping people to design and install equipment. There was a big role for chemical engineers to play. In the future, there will be increasing emphasis on the chemists as the industry works to modify its production processes to reduce pollutants."
Michael Rothgeb, Consumer Products in the Environment
Rothgeb started with Procter & Gamble 13 years ago as an analytical chemist. His job not only involves gathering data but also helping to guide technologists to new materials that will be better for the environment. "There is a common misperception that consumer products place a great burden on the environment," he says. "In general, things like driving a car or heating water actually burden the environment more than our use of consumer products. Some materials have not been good. So, our work as environmental scientists will help us avoid problems in the future."
Bobek's job has a variety of functions, one of which is to ensure that
Betz's domestic production plants maintain environmental compliance. This
means knowing how the plants operate and understanding the huge volume
of environmental regulations that pertain to it. Another aspect of his work is providing information and guidance in cases of emergency. "If a spill occurs at one of our plants or at a customer's plant, we need to give them advice on how to handle the situation and, later, how to clean it up." When an emergency call comes in, Bobek finds out what chemical or chemicals are involved. He checks if there are any special handling precautions that should be taken. He advises as to whether the chemical should be mixed with an organic material to absorb or collect it, or if this will only aggravate the situation. He supplies other information such as the necessity for protective clothing or breathing precautions. Finally, he determines the potential impact of that chemical on waterways and decides if it is necessary to notify a government agency.
"As a lab, we work on the issues the company is facing at the time. In the mid-1980s, we were very concerned with groundwater issues and developing remediation processes for groundwater." Recently, he says, the lab has been focusing on the fate of chlorinated solvents in groundwater, studying how microorganisms degrade chemical contaminants. "Fifteen years ago, we believed these chemicals were persistent in the environment. But now, we believe they are not-that they do degrade through various mechanisms. We use these conclusions to support a wide range of chlorinated solvent products used in metal finishing, paint removal, and dry cleaning solutions, and to help us develop entirely new strategies for their remediation."
Laura McConnel, Agriculture Chemical Fate At the USDA, she is in charge of research on the Chesapeake Bay area. "We are looking at what happens to pesticides in the environment, and we are trying to decrease the surface runoff from agriculture fields that gets into rivers and then runs into the Chesapeake Bay." Part of this research involves investigating the importance of the atmosphere as a carrier of pollutants. "We are trying to figure out what the air-water interface for the area is. Do these pollutants come out in the rain or in gas form?" Similar studies have been done in the Great Lakes area where they believe as much as 80% of PCB contamination travels through the air, she says. "The USDA is interested in applying this research to finding ways to use pesticides so that they are not lost to the atmosphere so quickly."
"My job is to provide analytical support to our environmental laboratories that look at the impact of these chemicals on aquatic life," says Dan Lusardi, manager of research and field support at Betz Laboratories Inc., one of the leading makers of water treatment chemicals for industrial processes. Lusardi's work includes providing analytical support for testing, developing testing methodologies, and compiling data on all Betz products to determine their fate in the environment. This information is then made available to Betz's customers who use it when they are applying to a government or regulatory agency for permits to discharge process water after it has been used. WORKING CONDITIONS PLACES OF EMPLOYMENT PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS EDUCATION AND TRAINING JOB OUTLOOK SALARY RANGE FOR MORE INFORMATION WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW American Chemical Society, Education Division, 1155 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036; (202) 452-2113.
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