Tobacco-Control Chemist

Health Canada is home to many different kinds of chemists. Some perform laboratory work, while others mainly work in offices, analyzing data like Health Canada's tobacco-control chemists. They generate experiments, which an off-site lab will perform, in order to test the chemical make-up of various tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco.

Duties

A tobacco-control chemist's tasks do not match up exactly with those of the stereotypical chemist you might picture in a white lab coat, working with beakers and Petri dishes. Tobacco-control chemists have a variety of duties including:

• Deciding which chemicals to test for in cigarettes and other tobacco products to determine levels of toxicity and to ensure compliance with the Tobacco Act
• Creating experiments to test for these chemicals, establishing a methodology, and sending this information to a lab to perform the testing
• Analyzing lab results
• Comparing toxicity levels of various tobacco products
• Analyzing the chemical make-up of new or trendy tobacco items. For example, in 2007 smokeless products such as chewing tobacco and snus (a moist powder tobacco product that is held in the mouth) were very popular
• Educating the public by creating posters, pamphlets and presentations about the chemicals in various tobacco products and the health risks associated with their use.

Working Conditions

Health Canada's tobacco-control chemists work in offices analyzing data. After determining what experiments need to be done, these chemists send the information to a lab where other chemists perform the actual experiment. There is some field work involved as well, as tobacco-control chemists may have to go out and examine/purchase various tobacco products to study and analyze.

Qualities

Tobacco-control chemists need the following characteristics:

• Imagination
• Innovation and patience
• The ability to synthesize and analyze data
• Good interpersonal skills
• The ability to multi-task
• The ability to work as a part of a team

Salary

Rates of pay for chemists in the Federal Public Service

What makes the job fun according to one tobacco control chemist

Marie Christine's favourite part of her job is working with people, both her colleagues and the public. She interacts with the public by responding to e-mail concerns about tobacco products and by making public presentations on the dangers of tobacco products. While many people assume chemists sit in labs by themselves all day looking through microscopes, tobacco-control chemists work in teams to create new experiments and then get to relay their findings to the public, helping them to make informed decisions with regard to the usage of tobacco products. (Marie Christine Nolet, Chemist, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch)