I've been an Environmental Scientist (not specifically a health scientist) since 1990. I started out as well as a chemical analyst in the Soil Characterization Lab at a university. Yes, there are some nasty samples out there. The lab I worked at was very underfunded and some of the lab broke OSHA standards such as good hood ventilation for aromatic hydrocarbon samples and such. I understand from several of my friends who have state jobs where budgets are slashed, that still can be commonplace. It sounds like you are in a lab environment but there are alternative routes, depending on your age, experience, etc that can take you away from lab/field work, and away from some of the nasty stuff if that's what you want. I went to work for an engineering environmental consulting firm and am still in the private sector where I more managed what the field and lab people did, and took their results and made sense of results as applicable to the project. Taking the data, and connecting dots along with all my requisite background was fun. I totally switched gears in 2000 and now do GIS. In my company though, we have many people who do risk analysis and risk management. All I'm saying, is there are alternatives but it sounds like you want to get out of the office or that you would stay with testing?