# Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

> Conduct research or perform investigation for the purpose of identifying, abating, or eliminating sources of pollutants or hazards that affect either the environment or public health. Using knowledge of various scientific disciplines, may collect, synthesize, study, report, and recommend action based on data derived from measurements or observations of air, food, soil, water, and other sources.

- **SOC code:** 19-2041.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-2041-00
- **Also known as:** Environmental Programs Specialist, Environmental Protection Specialist, Environmental Scientist, Environmental Specialist, Environmental Analyst, Environmental Health Specialist, Environmental Health and Safety Specialist (EHS Specialist), Hazardous Substances Scientist
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings.
- Monitor effects of pollution or land degradation and recommend means of prevention or control.
- Collect, synthesize, analyze, manage, and report environmental data, such as pollution emission measurements, atmospheric monitoring measurements, meteorological or mineralogical information, or soil or water samples.
- Review and implement environmental technical standards, guidelines, policies, and formal regulations that meet all appropriate requirements.
- Provide scientific or technical guidance, support, coordination, or oversight to governmental agencies, environmental programs, industry, or the public.
- Evaluate violations or problems discovered during inspections to determine appropriate regulatory actions or to provide advice on the development and prosecution of regulatory cases.
- Conduct environmental audits or inspections or investigations of violations.
- Process and review environmental permits, licenses, or related materials.
- Analyze data to determine validity, quality, and scientific significance and to interpret correlations between human activities and environmental effects.
- Provide advice on proper standards and regulations or the development of policies, strategies, or codes of practice for environmental management.
- Investigate and report on accidents affecting the environment.
- Develop the technical portions of legal documents, administrative orders, or consent decrees.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- English Language _(knowledge)_
- Oral Comprehension _(ability)_
- Written Comprehension _(ability)_
- Problem Sensitivity _(ability)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(ability)_
- Reading Comprehension _(essential_skill)_
- Active Listening _(essential_skill)_
- Writing _(essential_skill)_
- Speaking _(essential_skill)_
- Science _(essential_skill)_
- Complex Problem Solving _(transferable_skill)_
- Oral Expression _(ability)_

**Skills in demand:**
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Writing _(Common Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Complex Problem Solving _(Common Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Biology _(Specialized Skill)_
- Speech Recognition _(Specialized Skill)_
- Active Learning _(Common Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- ESRI ArcGIS software _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Word _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Adobe Acrobat _(hot technology)_
- Adobe Illustrator _(hot technology)_
- Autodesk AutoCAD _(hot technology)_
- Bentley MicroStation _(hot technology)_
- C++ _(hot technology)_
- IBM SPSS Statistics _(hot technology)_

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 76th percentile (High) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 75th percentile (High) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 89th percentile (High) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 60th percentile (Moderate) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 20th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** yes — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 4.4% growth (About average); 8.5k annual openings; 90.3k → 94.3k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $80,060; 84,930 employed.

## How people actually use AI here

Anthropic Economic Index — measured AI conversations mapped to this occupation's tasks:

- **Automation vs augmentation:** 26% automation, 54% augmentation (usage-weighted).
- **Autonomy median:** 4.0 (higher = AI acts more independently).
- **Dominant collaboration mode:** task iteration.

**Tasks most handed to AI here:**
- Plan or develop research models, using knowledge of mathematical and statistical concepts. _(1.1% of measured AI use; task iteration)_
- Communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings. _(1.0% of measured AI use; learning)_
- Collect, synthesize, analyze, manage, and report environmental data, such as pollution emission measurements, atmospheric monitoring measurements, meteorological or mineralogical information, or soil or water samples. _(0.6% of measured AI use; task iteration)_
- Determine data collection methods to be employed in research projects or surveys. _(0.5% of measured AI use; task iteration)_

**Example prompts (honest phrasings of the tasks above — starting points, not endorsed instructions):**
- Help me plan or develop research models, using knowledge of mathematical and statistical concepts.
- Help me communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings.
- Help me collect, synthesize, analyze, manage, and report environmental data, such as pollution emission measurements, atmospheric monitoring measurements, meteorological or mineralogical information, or soil or water samples.
- Help me determine data collection methods to be employed in research projects or surveys.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-2041-00_