Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians
Last night I was feeling a bit down, and the moment my lovely wife saw me frowning, she suggested we go out and take a walk, and sit by the Nile to breathe some fresh air. While we were chatting, I noticed a report on my phone from a news site that made me question whether the air I'd gone out to breathe was really clean at all. The World Health Organization says 9 out of 10 people breathe polluted air, meaning 90% of humanity is breathing air that's harmful to their health. And since I live in one of the most crowded cities, packed with people and cars, I'm almost certainly one of those nine. Air pollution affects the environment as a whole — water, soil, crops, animals — and of course, the greatest harm falls on humans. The WHO estimates that 13 million people die every year from heart and lung diseases caused by environmental pollution. That's why the work of environmental experts today is a bit heavier than it used to be — as pollution levels rise, the burden falls on them to find ways and solutions to reduce the impact of these problems threatening the world. Today we'll talk about some specialists in environmental science: environmental engineering technicians, who assist scientists and engineers in their work. An environmental engineering technician is responsible for collecting samples of air, soil, and water using specialized equipment, and for testing those samples in labs to determine pollution levels, recording the results, writing reports, and discussing their findings with scientists, engineers, and other environmental specialists.
Meet the Writer: Waleed Abo Omiraa
What You'll Actually Do
The core tasks and responsibilities that fill a typical day.
- Receive, set up, test, or decontaminate equipment.
- Maintain project logbook records or computer program files.
- Perform environmental quality work in field or office settings.
- Review technical documents to ensure completeness and conformance to requirements.
- Review work plans to schedule activities.
- Produce environmental assessment reports, tabulating data and preparing charts, graphs, or sketches.
- Maintain process parameters and evaluate process anomalies.
- Decontaminate or test field equipment used to clean or test pollutants from soil, air, or water.
- Prepare and package environmental samples for shipping or testing.
- Prepare permit applications or review compliance with environmental permits.
- Record laboratory or field data, including numerical data, test results, photographs, or summaries of visual observations.
- Collect and analyze pollution samples, such as air or ground water.