Environmental Health Analyst

HealthCareerNet - Search Engine for healthcare jobs, health care jobs, medical jobs and hospital jobs

Sign In

Advertisement

Advertisement

Home :: Career Center :: Healthcare Career Profiles :: Allied Health Career Profiles

Environmental Health Analyst - Career Profile

Career Overview

Environmental health analysts work to reduce the health hazards caused by unsafe foods, water, or waste products. They are primarily responsible for analyzing the health risks posed by the defined unsafe conditions, whether they are contamination hazards, or risks posed by atmospheric pollution or, in rarer but more extreme cases, by radioactive contamination.

The field traversed by environmental health analysts opened up over a hundred years ago, with a report published by the Sanitary Commission of Massachusetts. It made fifty specific recommendations regarding the connection between the state of the environment and community health.

Today, entry-level environmental health scientists usually work as inspectors, visiting restaurants, schools, daycare centers, summer camps, hospitals, bakeries, and groceries stores to check the sanitation. They may also check water supply units, sewage treatment facilities, and swimming pools for harmful substances such as bacteria and lead.

Environmental health specialists with more experience may be assigned to provide education and consultation, particularly to organizations and facilities that have questionable levels of hygiene.

Career Requirements

A bachelor’s degree and a background in science are the principle prerequisites for entry into an accredited program in environmental science. Numerous programs are run throughout the US, featuring study of biology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, mathematics, epidemiology, biostatistics, behavioral sciences, communication, and environmental health factors.

Whilst bachelor degrees are adequate education for most entry-level positions for environmental scientists, a growing number of positions require master degrees in the field, often due to the need for environmental health scientists to educate and research environmental health issues.

Most states also have registration and licensure requirements for environmental health scientists. More information is available from the following organizations:

The National Environmental Sciences and Protection Accreditation Council
P.O. Box 15266,
Portland, OR 97293
www.ehacoffice.org

Job Outlook

In the United States, people have become increasingly concerned with sanitation, with health hazards and the need for a clean environment to promote health. For this reason, the career potential for environmental health scientists is quite favorable for at least the next ten years, although most information suggests the job outlook in this profession will remain fair.

Career Track

With several years of work experience, an environmental health scientist may be promoted to a supervisory position within a government or private agency. Duties in supervisory positions may include planning, organizing, and evaluating investigative activities of other environmental health scientists charged with inspecting locations to assess health risks.

Compensation

Although compensation varies throughout the industry, the annual salary of environmental health scientists typically ranges between $25,000 and $50,000 per year.