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.

. . . Is reducing contamination and managing our environment
Those studying the contamination of our environment in the 1970s focused exclusively on the fate and effects of chemicals because the technology to measure the damage had not yet been developed. Jack Sheehan, director of regulatory and operating services at Rhone-Poulenc, noted that as the technology for measuring leakage from landfills, for example, was developed, industry realized the potential for chemicals to negatively impact the environment. As a result of this new data, chemists were able to help design pollution abatement systems that reduce the amount of unwanted elements escaping into the environment, and they applied their knowledge of how chemicals work in the environment to the development of remediation systems to clean up contaminated areas.

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.

. . . Is a broad-based discipline
Because our environment is so complex, environmental chemists always underscore the interdisciplinary nature of their field. Environmental chemists must be able to understand and use the terminology of a range of other disciplines including biology, geology, ecology, sedimentology, mineralogy, genetics, and soil and water chemistry. Gary Klecka, a research associate at Dow Chemical, says, "If I am a groundwater chemist, I need to be able to communicate with a hydrogeologist and understand him or her without needing to be an expert."

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.
Copyright 1994, 1997 American Chemical Society

Leo Manzer, Catalysis
"I did not know environmental issues would be in the forefront of catalysis when I got into it," says Leo Manzer, director of the corporate catalysis center at DuPont. But, in fact, catalytic chemistry is used in many different ways to minimize the impact of industry on the environment. Manzer is an organic chemist by training, but he has spent the last 10 years of his career working strictly on catalysis and considers himself a de facto environmental chemist.

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.

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
Finding out the impact of consumer products on the environment is the job of Michael Rothgeb, a section manager in the corporate environmental sciences department at Procter & Gamble. "Using lab tests, field tests, and our experimental stream, we try to determine what happens to a consumer product ingredient when it goes through a wastewater treatment facility. What happens when it is discharged? Does it affect fish? Does it affect the Daphnia that fish feed on or the algae that Daphnia feed on?"

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."

Mike Bobek, Regulatory Affairs and Emergency Response
Mike Bobek, manager of the environmental controls group at Betz Labs, does not work in a lab. But he applies his training in analytical chemistry daily to a wide variety of regulatory issues. "When analyzing data, you need to be familiar with test methodologies and sampling techniques. Relating numbers with test methods continues to involve the application of my chemistry knowledge," he says.

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.

Garv Klecka, Product Support
As one of the largest chemical companies in the United States, Dow makes chemicals that are used in everything from plastic to paint and glue, to shampoo. Gary Klecka, one of the senior scientists in its environmental research lab, is responsible for supporting these products from an environmental perspective. His job is to understand how chemicals need to be handled when they are being transported, how to store them safely, and how to clean them up should they enter the environment.

"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
Laura McConnel says her work at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is similar to the kinds of research she did as a Ph.D. candidate in analytical chemistry. "I first came across environmental chemistry in a seminar in which students' Ph.D. research was being discussed," she says.

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."

Dan Lusardi, Industrial Products in the Environment
Certain industries use large amounts of water. Power plants, oil refineries, steel and paper manufacturers all send millions of gallons of water through their equipment every day. Because water can often corrode or scale machinery, it is treated with chemicals to reduce or eliminate these effects. But what happens to those chemicals when they are discharged?

"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.

WORK DESCRIPTION
Environmental chemist 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.

WORKING CONDITIONS
Workplaces for environmental chemists are as varied as their job descriptions. Often their work is done in an indoor lab environment. However, when studying the fate and effects of chemicals in the environment, a river bed or stream may become their lab. Some companies have sophisticated indoor ecosystems in which they test their products. Others collect data outside and miles away from their own production sites.

PLACES OF EMPLOYMENT
The chemical industry employs a huge number of chemists to ensure that a company is in compliance with government regulations. Government agencies such as the Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, and the Environmental Protection Agency also hire chemists for environmental work. In addition, waste management companies employ chemists to do consulting or remediation.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Because environmental chemistry is so interdisciplinary, excellent communication skills, teamwork, the ability to associate with people and express ideas efficiently to a nonscientific audience are all important. This last challenge will become appartent when dealing with regulations or with sales and marketing individuals in your own company. As environmental management expands globally, chemists with the added knowledge of other languages may be even more successful.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Environmental chemists come from a variety of backgrounds, and there is no one path into the field. Candidates with a Ph.D. degree will find more interesting work more quickly than those with a master's or bachelor's degree. However, because the field is growing so rapidly, opportunities do exist for individuals with an associate's degree. Companies often hire graduates from schools with well-established programs. Employers also look for candidates who demostrate the ability to broaden their skills and think in an interdisciplinary manner. Course work in subjects related to the environment is one indication of this.

JOB OUTLOOK
Due to increased government regulations, job opportunities for environmental chemists continue to grow. Despite downsizing, companies are placing greater emphasis on compliance and environmental processes. Opportunities exist to for chemists to move into different areas of expertise outside a traditional job in the lab. By studying law, business, or public policy, opportunities can be found in the regulatory area as well as in health and safety functions.

SALARY RANGE
The starting salary for a Ph.D. chemist is in the low $50,000-per-year range. For master's candidates, $40,000 is an average starting salary. Bachelor's candidates can earn anywhere from the mid-$20,000s per year to the low $30,000s. An individual going into the regulatory side of environmental chemistry is likely to start out at a higher salary and continue to be paid more throughout his or her career because these jobs are more high profile and require taking responsibility for a company's liability. Although the work an analytical chemist does to reduce contamination is important, the chemist-regulator who negotiates a company out of trouble will receive more recognition and better compensation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Regional Offices
(check the government section in your local phone book)

WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
Because career choices abound in the environmental area, students are advised to think about the type of work that interests them and what discipline, in addition to chemistry, they would like to emphasize while still in school. Because many colleges and universities have an environmental sciences program, students have an opportunity to investigate some potential areas before actually exploring the job market. Environmental chemists working in industry also suggest taking courses in industrial chemistry and chemical engineering. These offer students the best way of discovering what working in industry is like.

American Chemical Society, Education Division, 1155 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036; (202) 452-2113.