Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health
Life, Physical, and Social Science
Field visits and lab work share the week. Air, soil, water, industrial wastewater, and sometimes asbestos are sampled; particles such as lead or coal dust are weighed to measure pollutant levels. Spills, hazardous conditions, and disease or food-poisoning outbreaks may trigger extra collection for analysis. Workplaces are inspected for problems like high noise, radiation, or lighting hazards, instruments are calibrated, and findings go into reports and conversations with the people who requested the tests. A good fit for those who want both outdoor sampling and careful lab measurement, plus clear writing about what the numbers show.
Typical education: Bachelor’s Degree (4-year)
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$55'090
Median Wage Market Position
$55'090
What you might do
- Sample soils, water, gases, and industrial wastewater
- Investigate spills, unsafe sites, and disease outbreaks
- Weigh lead, coal dust, or rock for pollutants
- Inspect workplaces for noise, radiation, and lighting hazards
- Write reports and charts that explain test results
- Talk through test results with customers
Skills that matter
- Collecting soil, water, and air samples
- Investigating spills and contamination sources
- Writing reports that interpret test results
- Discussing findings with customers
- Inspecting workplaces for health hazards
- Measuring pollutant levels in collected samples
AI & the future of this role
Field sampling and on-site inspections are harder to automate than lab assays, which AI might streamline. In-person monitoring and regulatory documentation still anchor the role, though routine analysis could shift toward software.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details