The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) and the American Board of Forensic Toxicology (ABFT) have formed a strategic alliance that will see ANAB administer the ABFT accreditation program on behalf of the ABFT.
The ABFT establishes and enhances voluntary standards for forensic toxicology and the examination and recognition of scientists and laboratories that provide forensic toxicology services.
Although the ABFT laboratory accreditation program will remain unchanged, all forensic toxicology laboratories accredited by the ABFT or seeking ABFT accreditation will now have an avenue to become accredited to ANAB’s forensic testing program based on ISO/IEC 17025, the international standard for testing laboratories. Each laboratory accredited by ANAB and ASCLD/LAB will have the opportunity to add the ABFT Laboratory Accreditation Standard to its scope of accreditation.
Under the new alliance, ABFT laboratory inspectors will continue to conduct inspections for ABFT’s current laboratory accreditation program. ABFT laboratory inspectors and ANAB-ASCLD/LAB toxicology assessors will receive training to conduct ANAB assessments that include the ABFT Laboratory Accreditation Standard.
The ABFT has had an accreditation program for forensic toxicology laboratories involved in postmortem toxicology and human performance testing for 19 years. The board currently accredits 40 laboratories. ANAB-ASCLD/LAB has been accrediting forensic toxicology laboratories for more than 30 years. The ANAB-ABFT alliance will combine the resources of both programs to provide the highest quality accreditation services available in postmortem and human performance forensic toxicology.